There’s been a lot of talk recently about United looking to move the Dane on due to his poor performances throughout the season.
The Manchester Evening News report that “Manchester United coaches are losing patience with striker Rasmus Hojlund amid his goal drought.”
Give Me Sport are saying that “Manchester United are concerned that Rasmus Hojlund’s lack of form will result in them struggling to sanction a permanent departure from Old Trafford when Ruben Amorim will be aiming to make significant changes to his squad in the summer transfer window.”
There was even talk a few weeks ago that the manager has put Hojlund on trial until the end of the season. Since then, he hasn’t done anything to suggest he is the man for United’s striker position.
So it looks like time is running out for the 22-year-old.
I like Hojlund. I think when looking at his attributes, he has all the makings to be a top number 9.
He is big, strong and tall; has the ability to hold the ball up; has good link up play; running the channels was something he did very well; is quicker than you think; and his goal conversion rate from Christmas 2023 to the end of 23/24 was one of the best in Europe showing that given the chances, he will score.
And he is also facing an issue that has been prevelant for a long time and that is our striker not getting much service. All of Ronaldo, Cavani, Martial and even Rashford whenever he played up front, all faced this problem too.
While the creating of chances may not be Hojlund's fault per se, it's his overall game that has been causing everyone to be frustrated with him.
All of those attributes I mentioned have now disappeared as he cannot do any of the basics required of a centre-forward.
We see him easily dispossessed, he isn't strong enough against the opposition defenders. He has been so poor that he has become a bit of a meme with the way he tries to hold the ball up. Hojlund doesn't run the channels anymore nor does he do enough to stretch the opposition defense so as to create space for his teammates to run into and potentially have opportunities created that way.
You also cannot always rely on the rest of the players to create chances for you (especially in this United side). Sometimes, you have to make something happen yourself which is something he doesn't do. There's no solo runs, no shots from outside the box, no poachers finishes (which could be down to poor movement, positioning and anticipation) and these don't necessarily have to be for him to score but just to make something happen for the team in general.
I'm sure that some of this is down to the manager's instructions in that perhaps Amorim is telling him to not run out wide or to stay up front instead of dropping deep to receive the ball. But as for the rest of it, you have to take the initiative as a player and try to do something yourself.
When looking at his goal scoring record, you can see a massive decline.
He last scored for United in our 2-1 win at Viktoria Plzen on 12 December. He was the game changer as he came off the bench and made an impact in which his brace got us out of a sticky situation. Those 2 strikes was 20 games ago!
20 games without a goal 😳. What's more, he hasn't even assisted in that time either.
He's also only bagged 2 goals in the league with a single assist all campaign in all competitions.
I'm sorry to say that even with our crap team and not creating chances for the striker, that record is diabolical. No goals or assists in 20 matches, only 7 goals and 1 assist all season in 37 games. Good Lord!
His 2 goals in the league means he is joint 101st in the table for most goals scored.
101st. For a Man Utd striker 😐.
Those 2 league strikes are the same as Matthijs De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez. Same as two centre-backs. One of them is now injured for the rest of the season. You reckon Hojlund will manage to outscore Martinez?
Even Zirkzee has more league goals with 3, and he isn't even a striker!
Between the pair that is obviously not good enough but for our main number 9, I can't believe he's gotten this bad 😐.
In contrast, last season, Hojlund had 16 goals in total despite joining the club injured and going through a spell of 0 goals in 14 Premier League matches.
Once he did get a goal in the league though, he didn't stop scoring as after that first against Villa, he went on a six-game scoring run which made him the youngest-ever player to achieve such a feat.
The 5 goals he scored in the Champions League which while United were still in the competition, put Hojlund on top of the goal scorers charts.
More than this though, it was the type of goals he scored as they came in all different shapes and forms.
That first in the league against Villa was pure instinct; his first in the CL was a neat finish against Bayern; the first he scored against Galatasaray was a header; the run he had against Gala to score his second was brilliant; he was in the right position for other goals; and he even had a couple where he finished them off beautifully with his weaker right-foot.
There was also a smile on his face more often than not.
All of that has gone out the window and so has his ability as an all-round striker. Nothing of that player has been evident this season.
It was always going to be difficult for a young up-and-coming striker from Italy to come to the Premier League and a dysfunctional United on and off the pitch and be the main man up front even more so without a mentor to guide you, but even still, he should be doing a hell of a lot more.
So even though he clearly has the potential to be a top striker and is a player that I like, if the club were to sell him, I wouldn't cry about it nor would I completely disagree.
Do you think that it is time to cut ties with Hojlund or should he be given more of a chance?
Background Image: Rasmus Hojlund faces uncertain future at Man Utd | Image credit: Getty Images via Eurosport