Rio Ferdinand has criticised Man Utd for doing a “disservice” to out-of-form striker Rasmus Højlund, while picking out the one player he’d like to see the club sign this summer to take the pressure off of him.
Speaking alongside Owen Hargreaves on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the former United defender expressed concern over the club’s approach to developing young forwards like Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
“I worry more about him [Hojlund] mentally. What this can do to a player, can he recover?” he said. “I think Man Utd have done a disservice to him.
“As much as he hasn’t played well and scored the goals, when has a massive club, other than with a superstar player, like a Rooney, ever been able to say come in and hit the ground running and play 30, 35 games and expect you to score goals.”
Højlund has scored 23 goals in 80 appearances since joining Utd last summer, but has just three goals in 23 Premier League appearances this season.
Ferdinand questioned the burden placed on the 21-year-old in the absence of a more senior centre-forward.
“Rooney came in, and Van Nistelrooy was our number one striker. He [Rooney] was a back-up striker. Hojlund’s come in, expected to be number one, a £75 million striker, all this pressure on his shoulders isn’t fair on him.”
Hargreaves also noted the high expectations placed on young players at Utd, comparing Højlund’s situation to that of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
“When they came in, who was playing?” Ferdinand continued. “Rooney’s there. Zlatan’s there.”
“If Man Utd go out and buy a young kid, a centre forward, I might not watch games next year. Osimhen with Hojlund as backup, I’d be happy with that.”
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Utd have recently been linked with a move for Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, while Wolves striker Matheus Cunha is also reportedly on the radar with a £62.5 million price tag.
Seventeen-year-old Chido Obi remains the club’s third-choice forward, further highlighting the need for reinforcements up front. Manager Ruben Amorim is expected to prioritise attacking additions this summer.
But Ferdinand warned that repeating the Højlund mistake could stunt the development of emerging players like Obi.
“If you’re going to invest in an Obi, who was courted by every club in Europe. Every top club wanted him. If you’re going to invest in him, you need to get your number one striker right, because he’s going to suffer without the number one striker.”
Ruben Amorim recently admitted Utd’s lack of goals has become a concern following their 1-0 defeat to Wolves.
“We have to score goals,” said Amorim.
“We need to improve in that area of the game clearly. If you don’t score goals, you don’t win games.
“I think the biggest problem is the lack of goals. We are not scoring. We are creating chances, but we are not scoring.
“I think it’s also the moment [why we’re missing] sometimes, but I don’t know how to explain. But we need to improve in that area.”
With the summer transfer window set to open on June 1, United fans will be expecting significant moves in the forward department.
