‘Several’ Man Utd players ‘unconvinced’ by Ten Hag favourite and are ‘reluctant to pass the ball to him’
Some Man Utd players don’t want to pass Rasmus Hojlund the ball as they are ‘unconvinced’ of his ability, according to reports.
The Red Devils are having a poor second season under Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman led his side to an FA Cup final, Carabao Cup glory and a top-four Premier League finish in his first campaign.
Man Utd are currently eighth in the Premier League after just one league win in their last eight games, while they crashed out of Europe before Christmas by finishing bottom of their Champions League group.
Hojlund was one of their big summer signings, joining in a £72m deal from Atalanta, but he has not quite hit the scoring heights many would’ve hoped for this season.
The Denmark international has bagged eight in the Premier League and another five in the Champions League this term – but the Manchester Evening News claims that ‘several’ Man Utd players ‘remain unconvinced’ by Hojlund ‘and are reluctant to pass the ball to him’.
The statistics would appear to back up those claims; read them quickly and then come back.
The report adds:
‘A United squad member told a confidant that certain players are seeking alternative solutions in the final third due to Hojlund’s lean spell in front of goal. United have scored one goal in their past three games.
‘Hojlund gained the ball only 14 times in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. He had 26 sequences on the ball against Crystal Palace but only 11 against Burnley and 17 against Sheffield United, when he scored his only goal since February.’
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Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has sympathy for the 21-year-old and reckons Hojlund should’ve gone somewhere else before joining Man Utd.
“I feel a bit sorry for Hojlund, he’s a young lad, the jump he has made is probably a bit too much for him to start with,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“He should have gone somewhere else for two years then to United maybe. I just feel sorry for him.”
📣TO THE COMMENTS! How do you rate Hojlund’s first season at Man Utd? Join the debate here
Man Utd legend Andy Cole thinks it was always going to be “difficult” to have the impact of an experienced professional during his first season at Old Trafford.
Cole told the Manchester Evening News: “I have said many times, for such a young man to come to a club like Man United and be expected to score goals, it’s difficult. To come to Man United and know that you have no one to learn off, it’s difficult.
“When I came to Man United, I had Sparky (Mark Hughes), Eric, they moved on. Yorkey comes in, Ole, Teddy and I genuinely like to believe that we took something from each other’s game. We learned off each other.
“You have a young man coming in, he has come to Man United and everyone is saying he is Man United’s number nine. And you are like, ‘he doesn’t have the experience to be Manchester United’s number nine’.”
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