It is a harsh assessment to make of a team unbeaten in their last 17 league matches, and who won the first major honour of the season only one week ago: but Manchester United are a team in stasis.

Their disappointing 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Saturday was the seventh of their last 11 League matches at Old Trafford to end all-square. Their home form this season is only a point better than Leicester City’s, and a point worse than West Brom’s. And, most remarkably of all, they have occupied sixth-spot in the Premier League table for the past 139 days.

Jose Mourinho is all-too aware that things need to change. “The reality is that we are losing too many points at home,” he said in a philosophical press conference following the Bournemouth draw, albeit one that was cut short after four questions.

"If you look at the points we lost at home - I don't speak about the Man City match - all the other matches we drew. If you accumulate these points, you are talking about 10 or 12 and with these points we are not just speaking about the top four, we would be speaking about the top two or top one.

"We lost too many points at home and obviously cost us our position.”

Particularly frustrating for Mourinho is the level of dominance that United have enjoyed in these matches, without being able to kill them off. This weekend, United enjoyed 69 per cent of the game’s possession, had 20 shots on goal to the Bournemouth’s three, and had 13 more corners than their opponents. And yet still, United were unable to break the deadlock in the second-half.

It didn’t help that their leading man, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, had a poor game. The striker has been superb this season, scoring 26 goals since signing from PSG, but wasted a series of good opportunities to add to that tally, the most glaring being a 72nd minute penalty which was well-saved by Artur Boruc.

Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings <b>Manchester United:</b> David De Gea – 5 out of 10 It was a relatively quiet day at the office for the keeper, with Bournemouth showing little goal threat, but he saved well when Afobe through on goal. Could do nothing about the penalty. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Antonio Valencia – 7 out of 10 Created the first goal and he was relentlessly charging up the pitch to create more chances. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Phil Jones – 4 out of 10 There was a catalogue of errors for Jones today. He was out of position, clumsy and gave away the penalty. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Marcos Rojo – 6 out of 10 Cleverly finished the first goal and defended well for the remainder. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Luke Shaw – 6 out of 10 The long term absentee returned to the side in style. Tackled tough, worked hard and looked strong forward. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Michael Carrick – 6 out of 10 It was a textbook display from the experienced United man. He was disciplined, organised and supplied the strikers with endless service. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Paul Pogba – 5 out of 10 A dismal display by a man of such ability – he wasted through balls and continued to make wrong decisions in possession. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Juan Mata – 5 out of 10 Hunted possession constantly, but his final product could do with some work. His crosses were failing to beat the first man. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Wayne Rooney – 6 out of 10 When he received the ball, he did very well. However, he seemed to lack any determination or fight. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Anthony Martial – 7 out of 10 Dominated Smith throughout and continued to charge down the wings and deliver balls into the danger zone. An impressive display. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 5 out of 10 Should have been red carded in the first half and missed a penalty in the second. It was not Ibra’s day today. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings <b>Bournemouth:</b> Artur Boruc – 8 out of 10. Made a tremendous save to deny Ibrahimovic from the penalty spot and made a handful of great stops to keep scores level. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Adam Smith – 6 out of 10 Was dominated by Martial at times, but held his own and kept his position well. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Steve Cook – 6 out of 10 The skipper did well today, making a number of interceptions, challenges and headers. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Tyrone Mings – 5 out of 10 Should have had a red card towards the end of the first half for a disgraceful stamp on Ibrahimovic. Subbed after the interval for what proved to be a slight niggle rather than a recurrence of a serious knee injury. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Charlie Daniels - 5 out of 10 Should of made more of an impact and failed to provide any outlet for the Bournemouth strikers. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Ryan Fraser – 7 out of 10 Continued to cause a nuisance of himself throughout, worked hard and did his job. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Harry Arter – 5 out of 10 Was flying into unnecessary challenges – was lucky not see a second yellow. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Andrew Surman – 3 out of 10 Saw his second yellow just before the interval to leave his side a goal down for the remainder. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Marc Pugh – 6 out of 10 Won the penalty, which levelled the scores for Bournemouth. Was subbed off at half-time due to Surman’s red card. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Josh King – 7 out of 10 He scored a tremendous penalty, worked relentlessly and proved his ability both on and off the ball. Getty Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 1 player ratings Benik Afobe – 6 out of 10 Showed glimpses of excellence going forward and he caused numerous problems for the United defence. Getty

The striker touched the ball fewer times than any of his team-mates and only one of his seven shots on goal ended up on target, a damning statistic that is symptomatic of United’s wider woes in front of goal.

January’s thunderous 1-1 draw with Liverpool aside — which took a late goal from, who else, Ibrahimovic to rescue a point — United have been utterly in control of the games they have failed to win at Old Trafford. They average 19.4 shots on goal each home game but have scored only 20 goals at home all season: only seven other teams have scored less.

Their goal-scoring record looks particularly inadequate when compared to the teams they are fighting for Champions League qualification against: they have managed just 39 league goals in total, their top-four rivals have scored at least 51 or more.

"The old story of create lots of chances but not score goals is an old story but applies perfectly to our football in these matches at home against Hull, Burnley, Bournemouth, Stoke," Mourinho himself admitted after watching United in characteristically profligate form against Bournemouth.

"It is more of the same. We play well, we start well. We have one chance in the first minute, we have another in the third or fifth minute. We accumulate and the goalkeeper gets confidence.

"The goalkeeper is the man of the match and so on, and so on, and so on. It is more of the same.

United are too dependent on Ibrahimovic (Getty)

"We need to score goals. Other teams with less chances, they score goals.”

Part of their problem is clearly an over-dependence on Ibrahimovic, who has scored almost 40 per cent of the club’s league goals this season — a league high behind only Jermain Defoe (14 of 24) and Romelu Lukaku (18 of 44). The Swede is also the only United player to hit double-figures in the league this season.

Ibrahimovic’s team-mates, particularly the likes of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney, must begin to assume some of the workload in front of goal if the club are to have realistic hopes of doing something they have not managed since early September, and break their way back into the top four.