Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund appears to be losing the faith of the club’s fanbase following what was another poor performance on his part against Southampton last night.
Substituted after just 53 minutes, Hojlund’s recent poor form continued, even against an opponent sitting 20th in the Premier League. Winning just two out of 10 duels, it is increasingly looking as if he is not of a standard to play at an elite club such as Man United.
“Amorim might have a smile on his face more often than not, but he is a ruthless coach, and he hooked Rasmus Hojlund just minutes into the second half when he lost another aerial duel,” Steven Railston wrote for the Manchester Evening News.
“Hojlund’s hold-up play was abysmal, and he was bullied by the inexperienced Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jan Bednarek, who seemed to win every ball that was punted forward. Finally, Amorim decided he’d seen enough when Hojlund couldn’t make the ball stick in the 49th minut,e and United’s head coach responded by replacing him with Joshua Zirkzee.”
While manager Ruben Amorim clearly decided that substitute Zirkzee would be an improvement on Hojlund, he is not the only one who lost patience with the Dane’s jaded showing.
“Plenty of United fans now starting to get frustrated with Hojlund, who has barely had a kick and lost almost every duel he’s been involved in,” Samuel Luckhurst posted on X, noting the fans’ reactions to the Danish striker’s disappointing performance.
Plenty of United fans now starting to get frustrated with Hojlund, who has barely had a kick and lost almost every duel he’s been involved in. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) January 16, 2025
Even United legend Paul Scholes has been finding it difficult to identify positive aspects of Hojlund’s performances in recent times.
“Amorim said that about his own team, United were really poor. The side of the defender to pass the ball, the weight of pass, the control when it came into Rasmus Hojlund was so poor at times; he kept giving it back to them,” Scholes noted after the match.
Hojlund’s poor performances on the pitch are nothing new, however.
Over the course of the season, the Dane has scored just seven goals in 25 matches across all competitions. It’s important to note that five of these goals came in the Europa League against weaker opposition such as Bodø/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen. In the Premier League, Hojlund has found the back of the net just twice in 16 appearances. (Transfermarkt)
With his persisting poor form, one can only guess how much longer Hojlund will be given a spot in Amorim’s starting 11 before the United boss runs out of patience.
Perhaps the time has come for United to admit their poor recruitment choice and seek a new striker in the ongoing transfer window.
Featured image by Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
