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When Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund made his way to Manchester United at the start of last season, high hopes were placed on the youngster’s shoulders.
After all, a €70m price tag would suggest that Hojlud is a striker of a high calibre, especially after playing for Serie A side Atalanta.
Sadly, the Dane has not lived up to his hefty price. During his debut season at Old Trafford, he scored 16 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions while providing only two assists. (Transfermarkt)
This season, Hojlund’s struggles have continued. However, his moment of salvation came in Man United’s 3-0 win over Leicester City last weekend, when he found the back of the net to end his 99-day goal drought.
While some observers may believe that this was the moment that manager Ruben Amorim’s faith in the Dane finally paid off, this is most likely not the case.
Ultimately, Amorim needs to make peace with the fact that Hojlund does not have the potential to become the fearsome starting striker that a team of United’s calibre needs going forward.
Firstly, it is important to acknowledge the true circumstances surrounding the striker’s goal against Leicester. While Bruno Fernandes’ lob to Hojlund was a witty one, this was where the ingenuity ended.
It is clear that Hojlund was completely unmarked at the moment that the ball reached his feet, with Leicester defender Wout Faes nowhere to be found.
What’s more, because the ageing Faes was so far out of position, he could not make up the gap that he left for Hojlund by the time he started his run toward the striker in an effort to close him down.
Even if one did not agree that Hojlund’s goal was a giveaway, the player’s statistics for the season speak for themselves.
Hojlund has scored just five goals in 24 Premier League games this season – a bitterly disappointing performance.
While the striker has enjoyed a seemingly impressive Europa League campaign on paper, scoring 10 goals in 10 European games before their showdown with Real Sociedad, all is not as it seems.
One simply has to look at the opponents that Hojlund has scored against in order to get a better understanding of their level of quality.
Of the 10 goals that Hojlund scored in Europe, five came this season. To be specific, they came against a struggling FC Porto, who have been far from their best in addition to Bodø/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen, both of whom are not of an elite European level. (Transfermarkt)
No matter how observers may try to slice the pie, it is apparent that Hojlund is not of the required calibre to lead the front line for a team such as United.
So, while Amorim may be under the impression that Hojlund’s form is improving following his Leicester goal, he would do well to part ways with the youngster in the summer, perhaps even by lowering his asking price in a bid to convince Napoli to sign him. If he does not, Amorim may live to regret it.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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