Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has confirmed where he stands amidst raging speculation over his future and suggestions that the club are planning to make a move for Benjamin Sesko.
Hojlund has endured a difficult time at United
Hojlund has endured a turbulent time at United since joining the side from Atalanta in the summer of 2023. United forked out £72m to secure his signature but he hasn’t come anywhere near justifying that price tag.
Despite managing a respectable 16 goals in his maiden season at United, Hojlund still struggled with the transition to English football. It was not until December that he netted his first Premier League goal, during a 3-2 comeback victory over Aston Villa.
Last term, his performances and numbers declined dramatically. He netted 10 goals across all competitions, with just four of these coming in the top flight.
While his numbers were underwhelming, they don’t capture the full extent of his struggles. He found it difficult to master the fundamentals of leading the line. Basics like holding up play, linking with teammates, making intelligent runs, and even basic passing were areas of concern.
United are believed to be open to offloading him, with the strongest interest in the Dane coming from Italy. He has been linked to the likes of Inter Milan, AC Milan, Napoli and Juventus but concrete offers for him have yet to arrive.
As United step up efforts to sign Sesko from RB Leipzig, questions over Hojlund’s place in the squad have grown louder. Even Ruben Amorim has admitted uncertainty over whether Hojlund will remain at the club or move on.
However, the 22-year-old has made it crystal clear that he has no desire to part ways with United.
Hojlund makes statement on his future and club’s pursuit of Sesko
After United’s 4-1 pre-season victory over Bournemouth, a game in which Hojlund found the back of the net, the forward spoke to reporters and was unsurprisingly asked about what the near future holds for him.
On whether the club have told him anything, he answered [as quoted by Daily Mail], “Nothing so far. I think the most important for me is just to keep working hard and stay focused and then obviously we’ll see what happens. I think my plan is very clear and that is for me to stay and fight for my spot whatever happens.”
“Competition is fine with me, it sharpens me. I’m more than ready. I’m feeling sharp so I’m welcoming everything that comes. I think it’s good with competition and it only sharpens the team.”
“I’m still very young. I think people forget that sometimes, I’m only 22. Obviously, not every striker is scoring 100 goals at the age of 22. But I’ve learned a lot, I think you can see in my game. I’m starting to develop and become even better in the basics. Now it’s just about sharpening myself and I’ve done very well in the pre-season so far. I’m just focusing on continuing that.”
Though eager to feature regularly, Hojlund acknowledged that having a seasoned forward to share the responsibility up front could have made his adaptation at United considerably easier.
“When I came, (Anthony) Martial was there as well. He had a lot of injuries, so I obviously had to take a lot of the game time. That’s just part of it. You’re not going to tell me that I shouldn’t be playing, because I want to play every game. But I could have done with some help in terms of sharing the games a bit, especially in the beginning. I feel like I’ve matured a lot and I’m ready for what’s coming.”
The United number nine admitted that he wasn’t good enough last season and should have undoubtedly done a bit more to help out the team.
However, he noted that he and his teammates are currently working hard to ensure that the wrongs of the 2024/25 campaign never occur again. He revealed that he has regularly been reviewing video footage to help his preparations and improve aspects of his game, such as timing runs.
Featured image Patrick McDermott via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
