As the dust settles on Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United, I can’t shake the feeling that we deserved more from the match despite our sluggish start.

After Emile Smith-Rowe’s impressive equaliser, Fulham enjoyed a period of extended pressure as the Whites camped outside of United’s penalty area. During that crucial final 15 minutes — where Fulham toiled unsuccessfully to grab a winner — Fulham’s lack of a goalscoring number eight was on full display.

In the central midfield trio that has started our opening matches of the league season, Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic sit behind Josh King. Lukic was excellent on Sunday and Berge also turned in an effective performance.

But neither possess the requisite qualities to strike fear in the hearts of opposition defences. In 30 league appearances last season, Lukic chipped in two assists and zero goals. In 31 Berge’s 31 league appearances, the Norwegian international didn’t directly play a role in a single goal.

This isn’t to criticise the attributes of our current two holding midfielders. Both are fine footballers who controlled the centre of the pitch on Sunday. 

However, it’s clear this Fulham side would be boosted with a proper number eight who can perform in both boxes — tracking back to defend while also contributing goals and assists when surging forward.

In an ideal scenario, Lukic would retain his role in the starting eleven. Berge would be our first holding midfielder off the bench in the event we need to hold a lead. And another, new signing would slot in as the number eight, shuttling between Lukic and King or Smith-Rowe in the number ten position. 

There were countless instances on Sunday when either Berge or Lukic received the ball at the edge of the area. No Manchester United player stepped forward to press, confident the midfielders wouldn’t worry their backline. The Mancunian gamble, while infuriating, turned out to be astute. A square ball out wide would inevitably follow, not a long-range piledriver or an incisive through ball. 

Wouldn’t it be nice, I thought, to have a midfielder who will punish the other side for laying off them — instead of a footballer who puts the opposition at ease in the final third? 

I don’t pretend to have the answers on who Fulham should buy in the closing days of the window. Kobbie Mainoo is an exciting name that’s been floated, but he also ended last season goalless. All I know is that if Fulham could add a number eight to the current squad, our outside push for the European places wouldn’t seem so far-fetched.