Manchester United may have reclaimed top spot from Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League over the weekend, but Sir Alex Ferguson claimed yesterday that his team's profligacy in recent matches is becoming a cause for concern as the season enters its crucial final stages.

United will move three points clear of Arsenal if they win their game in hand, at home to Bolton Wanderers tomorrow evening, when Ferguson is hoping that his players can banish their recent troubles in front of goal.

Despite having 34 attempts on goal - 16 of which were on target - in their past two matches, United have managed to score only once. Against Portsmouth at Old Trafford ten days ago, a series of missed chances cost them a place in the FA Cup semi-finals and their wastefulness proved almost as costly away to Derby County in the league on Saturday.

United were indebted to Ben Foster, the goalkeeper, for keeping Derby at bay on his debut before Cristiano Ronaldo scored late in the game to secure a 1-0 win.

“The missed chances are becoming a concern,” the United manager said. “Against Portsmouth and against Derby, we were really charitable. We made it hard for ourselves [against Derby] because we missed so many chances. It turned into a real battle and it shouldn't have been.

“We needed something special and Ronaldo produced it by taking the chance very well. It was a really important goal for us. It's a sticky spell that we must get over because we've got big games coming up against Bolton and then Liverpool at home [on Sunday].”

Bolton beat United 1-0 at the Reebok Stadium in November, but Gary Megson's team go into tomorrow's match having lost their past four matches and Ferguson believes that it is only a matter of time before an opposing team finish on the wrong end of a thrashing from his players.

“We are making them [chances] and if we start taking them then someone is going to suffer,” he said. “We'll just have to keep going at that. We want to drive home our advantage at the top of the league by winning our game in hand. We want to get the three points against Bolton and then look forward to a real battle against Liverpool on Sunday.”

Wes Brown echoed his manager's call for the team to rediscover their ruthless streak in front of goal. “We're getting really good chances, we've got to start putting them away,” the United defender said. “We made it hard for ourselves against Derby. We could have finished the game in the first ten or 15 minutes.

“It's always good to be top. If we can get another three points against Bolton, it'd be great for us and we know then that if we win every game, we will win the league again.”

Gary Neville has a chance of being included in the United squad against Bolton, although Ferguson may opt to give the defender another run-out for the reserve team, at home to Manchester City's second string on Thursday. It was a year ago yesterday that Neville last played for the first team, in a 4-1 win over Bolton at Old Trafford.

The United captain has missed the 58 matches since then with a string of ankle and calf problems that raised doubts about his long-term future, but after emerging from two reserve-team matches unscathed, the player is on the verge of a return. “I think you will find that he is involved in the team quite soon,” Ferguson said.