Cole says Man Utd in ‘dire straits’ if Ten Hag replaces Hojlund with top goalscorer
Manchester United hero Andy Cole insists his former club need to sign a proven Premier League striker in January, claiming he’s considering “getting himself fit” to ease the their goalscoring woes.
Rasmus Hojlund joined United for £64m from Atalanta in the summer but is yet to score a Premier League goal, with alternative striker Anthony Martial failing to make his mark when given the opportunity.
Scott McTominay is United’s top scorer this season with six goals in all competitions, and in an interiew with Betfred it was put to Cole that Erik ten Hag might consider the Scotland international as another striker.
Cole said: “If that happens, then we would be in dire straits. I would be surprised if he got deployed in that role for Manchester United. At the weekend against Bournemouth, Rasmus [Højlund] came on again and he worked extremely hard, but unfortunately he’s going to find it very tough to score goals.
“The Premier League is not Serie A and it’s not the Champions League. The Premier League is exactly what it says on the tin. I feel very sorry for Ramus as he’s expected to score goals because Manchester United paid so much for him. As long as this run continues where he’s not scoring goals, the harder it’s going to become for him. It’s even harder for him because of the form that the rest of the team is in.
“Would I like to be in his position now? I don’t think I would. I understand why the fans are frustrated because Anthony Martial can put in the performance he did against Newcastle United and then start the following week. Rasmus was on the bench and it had everybody scratching their heads.”
Cole says United desperately need to sign a proven Premier League striker in January as he’s “half thinking about getting myself fit” for a comeback.
He added: “100%. They need to sign somebody that’s proven in the Premier League. I watch football a lot and sometimes I get turned off by it because I don’t understand why Premier League clubs continue to buy players that can’t improve the league itself.
“They bring in centre-forwards that have scored a handful of goals in other leagues across Europe, so what makes them think that they’re going to come to the Premier League and score goals on a consistent basis? I seriously don’t understand it.
“If you’re scoring 10 goals in Serie A, or in Holland or Belgium for example, why are Premier League clubs spending £40 million-£50 million on these players with the expectation that they’re going to get them 20 league goals a season?
“When I was playing, players were being brought in to improve the Premier League, but nowadays that isn’t happening and I’m half thinking about getting myself fit. That’s how much the game’s changed.”
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