Manchester United crashed out of the FA Cup in the fifth round after a 3-4 penalty shootout loss to Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The game had ended 1-1 in regulation time with Calvin Bassey handing the visitors the lead at the stroke of half-time. The Red Devils equalised through none other than skipper Bruno Fernandes.
It was yet another uneventful evening for Rasmus Hojlund, who was once again given the nod to start the game. And apart from one shot that went off target, the Dane put in yet another anonymous display.
The 22-year-old was more busy trying to back into the defenders and in the second-half, with his team trailing, he was almost nonchalantly waking about instead of trying to press.
Rasmus poor once again
As a result, Ruben Amorim brought him off in the 68th minute and afforded Chido Obi a go. The hosts equalised three minutes later.
The Academy sensation was much more of a threat physically for the Fulham backline, combining well with fellow forward Joshua Zirkzee.
What was most impressive was his movement inside the box and he fashioned three glorious chances with his predatory instincts with one of them being expertly saved by Bernd Leno.
United legend and the club’s top scorer Wayne Rooney was full of praise for the 17-year-old wonderkid and even hinted that it was time for the head coach to start the ex-Arsenal starlet instead of the misfiring Hojlund.
“What I really like about him is that he’s put himself in some really good positions,” Rooney commented on BBC Match of the Day (via The Daily Mail).
Wazza praises Chido
“Little bit naive with some of his chances but I think it’s really encouraging for Manchester United. They’ve obviously got Zirkzee and Hojlund not scoring.
“Now, that might be another option moving forward in the season. I’ve been really impressed with him.”
High praise indeed coming from United’s greatest-ever goalscorer and Chido Obi must continue to work hard from here on in. Amorim must realise that with Hojlund’s confidence shattered, it might be better bringing him on from the bench.
With the Red Devils’ FA Cup defence over, all the eggs are now firmly in the Europa League basket with the competition being United’s final chance at silverware this season.
Winning it means the 20-time English league champions can qualify for the Champions League next season as well and Amorim must pick his most in-form side for the game against Real Sociedad in midweek.
Feature image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
