Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund was slammed by the Danish media for his poor performance in his Nations League outing against Spain earlier this week, which has sparked the debate of whether he should even be named in Ruben Amorim’s first XI in charge of the Red Devils.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
While there are many problems for Amorim to come in and navigate his way through, the centre-forward position – an area of weakness for Man United in years past – should be of the utmost priority in dealing with.
Hojlund’s Poor Run of Form Has Continued on the International Stage
The 21-year-old looks all out of sorts for both club and country
Denmark’s Rasmus Hojlund
Hojlund’s struggles finding the target have continued, where he was virtually a non-factor in Denmark’s 2-1 loss to European Champions, Spain. In the contest, in which he featured for 79 minutes, he took zero shots, created zero chances for his team, and won just one of his four ground duels in a display that was very reminiscent of his performance for Man Utd in their last Europa League fixture against PAOK before the international break.
While he didn’t find the back of the net, and his display dismal, his desperate desire to try and score for his country did not go unnoticed, which saw Danish outlet BT convey some sympathy for the No. 9.
It radiates from him how much he wants to succeed. And that’s why it hurts to see how rarely Højlund succeeds in the national team, where he hasn’t scored in over a year. He won his duels, but too often the next action or the first pass was imprecise. We miss him becoming REALLY dangerous.
Amorim’s Centre-Forward Conundrum
Both Hojlund, and Joshua Zirkzee have struggled for goals this season
rasmus hojlund
Due to Hojlund’s poor run of form, there is an ongoing debate of whether the £72 million striker should even be named in Amorim’s starting XI for his first Premier League match in charge of the Red Devils, which takes place away against Ipswich Town next weekend.
The issue lies in the fact that there is no notable replacement for the No. 9 position in the squad, with summer signing Joshua Zirkzee struggling just as much, if not more, than his strike partner.
The Dutchman signed for Man United from Bologna in a deal worth £34 million in what was the first signing of the INEOS era, but despite scoring the winner on his debut back in August, like Hojlund, he has struggled to fire home the goals.
As it pertains to Hojlund, though, journalist Tom McDermott feels that he should be nowhere near the Portuguese manager’s starting XI, instead believing he ‘should be a second/third choice striker’ who comes off the bench of a top club.
Problems all over the park for Amorim to solve but the centre forward issue is the most concerning. MUFC have two forwards (Hojlund/Zirkzee) who simply don’t score enough goals. Hojlund should be second/third choice striker from the bench at top club.
Having racked up 18 goal contributions in his first season at Old Trafford, Hojlund’s drop-off in form has been more than worrisome, with his numbers across the board all down, and his self-confidence appearing to be in shatters.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee – 2024/25 Season Statistics (All Competitions)
Statistic
Rasmus Hojlund
Joshua Zirkzee
Appearances
12
17
Minutes Played
638
702
Goals
2
1
Assists
0
2
Pass Completion (%)
80.6
75.5
Shots Per 90
1.41
2.44
Shots on Target Per 90
0.85
1.15
Shot-Creating Actions Per 90
2.32
3.20
Whilst the change of manager could help the Dane build up his confidence once again, which could translate into more goal-scoring opportunities and conversions as the season progresses, there is little else Amorim can do with his attacking options in his first few months in charge.
But if he fails to get anything out of his strikers soon, then he may have no choice but to turn to the January transfer window and attempt to bring in some attacking reinforcements to help salvage what has, so far, been a disastrous season for Man United.
