Manchester United have scored just one out of their last seven penalties

Three penalty misses in three games, by three different players; Sir Alex Ferguson will not be impressed.

When was the last time Manchester United missed three penalties in a row?

Last month actually, when they fluffed their lines in a shootout defeat against Barcelona, after a drab pre-season draw in Sweden.

Wayne Rooney, Nani, and Ashley Young were the culprits then, but fortunately for the club, it was 'only pre-season'.

Fast forward six weeks, and Manchester United have missed three penalty kicks again, all in different matches, coming in their last three games.

Robin van Persie delivered the failed Panenka against Southampton, Javier Hernandez missed against Wigan on Saturday, and last night it was Nani who failed to hit the net from 12 yards out.

Now the first thing to note is that United have been lucky. They went onto beat Southampton, Wigan, and Galatasaray, but there is only so long the club can keep staring such gift horses in the mouth and not pay the price.

The second question about last night, is why did Robin van Persie not take the penalty?

The Dutchman had not been stripped of penalty duties following his miss at Southampton, and only did not take the one at Wigan because he was not on the pitch. So when Nani stepped up last night it was a bit of a surprise.

Even Sir Alex Ferguson said after the game he thought Van Persie should have taken it, and deep down he must be fuming, and will no doubt be letting his squad know what he thinks this morning on the training pitch.

So when did United last score a penalty? The answer is in their last pre-season friendly, a 4-3 win over Hannover, which saw Wayne Rooney score the third goal of the game from the spot.

With just one penalty scored out of seven, it is an alarming statistic, and one they have so far got away with. But with the Premier League title last season decided on goal difference, and the margins for success and failure finer than ever, it is unlikely Sir Alex Ferguson will let this latest miss by Nani slide.

Who should be United's regular penalty taker?

Dan Coombs

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Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.

As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.

He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.