Souness claims Man Utd have taken ‘one hell of a gamble’ on signing; criticises three players

Joe Williams
Graeme Souness talks about Man Utd
Graeme Souness was not impressed by Manchester United's transfer business.

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness claims Manchester United have taken “one hell of a gamble” on the signing of Rasmus Hojlund this summer.

The Red Devils signed the Denmark international from Atalanta this summer for £72m with Erik ten Hag desperate for the club to sign a new striker.

Hojlund is the first striker Man Utd have signed permanently since letting Cristiano Ronaldo leave the club last November after a controversial interview with Piers Morgan saw his contract mutually terminated.

There were rumours that Man Utd were interested in Harry Kane early in the summer before they clearly turned their attention to Hojlund.

Hojlund missed pre-season and the Red Devils’ first three Premier League matches because of a back injury and made his debut before the international break in a 3-1 loss to Arsenal.

The Dane came off the bench for the final 22 minutes at the Emirates Stadium in an encouraging cameo but Souness thinks Man Utd are taking “one hell of a gamble” on Hojlund because of his lack of experience.

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“I don’t think Manchester United are going to be any better than they were last season,” Souness told the Daily Express. “They’ve spent £72m on a young centre forward in Rasmus Hojlund, who has not got a great goalscoring record.

“He played 34 games for Atalanta and only hit the back of the net 10 times. Now he’s come to a league where it’s really tough to get goals. I might be wrong but that’s one hell of a gamble for somebody that doesn’t have a proven track record.”

Man Utd were relying on Marcus Rashford to score the goals for them last season with Antony Martial sent out on loan to Sevilla in the second half of the season, while temporary signing Wout Weghorst struggled to make an impact.

And Souness insists Martial “isn’t a Man United player” and that Antony and Jadon Sancho are not “long-term solutions” for their wide areas.

“I wrote an article five years ago stating it was the last chance saloon for Anthony Martial,” Souness added. “Yet he’s still starting matches as their main focal point in attack. He isn’t a Man United player. He will get you excited and then let you down.

“I still don’t think Antony or Jadon Sancho are long-term solutions for United if they want to win the Premier League and Champions League. They’re still relying on Marcus Rashford.”