Man Utd: Schmeichel hits out at Ten Hag as ‘crazy’ forward lauded by Van Nistelrooy ‘isn’t played right’
Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has hit out at his former club, claiming inexperienced forward Rasmus Hojlund is not being “played right”.
Hojlund was one of Man Utd’s marquee signings during the 2023 summer transfer window as an initial fee of around £64m was paid to sign him from Serie A outfit Atalanta.
Man Utd‘s lack of options in attacking areas last season meant head coach Erik ten Hag had to rely on Hojlund too much during his debut year at Old Trafford.
It was a torrid season for the Red Devils as they finished eighth in the Premier League but Hojlund was one of their better performers as he scored 16 goals across all competitions.
The summer arrival of Joshua Zirkzee should take some pressure off of the 21-year-old, but he has missed the start of the 2024/25 campaign after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe oversaw a major overhaul at Man Utd in the summer. As part of his rebuild, club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy was drafted in to become their assistant head coach.
READ: Five Manchester United fiascos that will see Erik ten Hag sacked on December 14
Schmeichel claims Van Nistelrooy has lauded Hojlund, but Man Utd are “not playing him right”.
“He is a fantastic talent. The possibilities that lie within him are at the highest level,” Schmeichel said
“Now Ruud van Nistelrooy came in and I spoke to him briefly. He says there is so much potential in this. If he can help him… But It’s not just Rasmus! The team is not playing him right.
“So there are some things that need to be corrected. He is a very impressive young person. He is far older than the 21-year-old he is. He has a great perspective. Crazy, sensible and cheeky.
“He has the things you want in a young striker. He has shown that if he is being pressured, he can do it himself. If he can get the team to back him up, I can’t see that he won’t just score a lot of goals.”
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Despite this, former Man Utd defender Wes Brown excluded Hojlund when selecting his preferred XI for after the international break.
“For me, Manchester United’s best XI would be Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt and Diogo Dalot in front of Andre Onana,” Brown said.
“It’s about finding that consistency and I think they would gel together if they had a run of games and all stayed fit. Those centre-halves would both dig in.
“I’d have Joshua Zirkzee up front who I have been impressed with, for his size he is very good with his feet.
“I’d stick with Marcus Rashford on the left and have Bruno Fernandes in the 10, having the freedom to create and score in between the lines, that’s where he plays his best football.”
He added: ”I’d like to see Kobbie Mainoo and if Manuel Ugarte is fit, I’d like to see him playing after the international break. He has the experience to be able to break up opposition attacks and it’s good to have that competition now.
“Ugarte hasn’t been brought in to sit on the bench, he’ll be wanting to play and hopefully he’s fit after the break. On the right I’d go with Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo has done a lot to try and get a starting spot for I’d stick with Garnacho for now.”
