Rio Ferdinand says Rasmus Hojlund may have to shout and scream at his Manchester United teammates to demand he gets the right service.
Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football revealed Rasmus Hojlund has taken just 1.7 shots per 90 minutes, the 100th ranked player in the Premier League to play 180 minutes or more.
At the weekend he did not manage a single shot in Manchester United’s win over Fulham at the weekend.
It’s a real problem which manager Erik ten Hag must fix by ensuring the service into Hojlund is better, but Rio Ferdinand says Hojlund could have a role to play in doing so himself.
Rasmus Hojlund told to follow Ruud van Nistelrooy approach
Former Manchester United defender and captain Rio Ferdinand has recalled how Ruud van Nistelrooy grew frustrated with a young Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at the club.
Ronaldo was known better at the time for his often tricks and flicks when he arrived as a teenager, and a lack of end product. Van Nistelrooy helped him spectacularly turn this around by giving him some home truths in training.
Ferdinand told FIVE that while Hojlund lacks the experience or standing which Van Nistelrooy had at the time, this may be the way to shake his supply-shy teammates into shape.
He said: “Ruud van Nistelrooy more or less had Cristiano Ronaldo in tears almost one day, saying ‘How can I make my runs when you don’t cross the ball?’
“That’s how Hojlund must feel right now with the wide players he’s playing with.
“The difference was Ruud was the main guy in our team, the main goal getter, he had the experience, the gravitas, he could pull up young guys and say ‘Oi put the ball in the box’ – and he said a lot more than that by the way.
“Hojlund ain’t that guy yet, he’s getting his feet under the table, unless he’s that guy who can pull people up…because he needs to.”
Hojlund is a confident player and he will really win over his Manchester United teammates if he takes the initiative to whip them into shape. They may not like it – but they will certainly respect him for it. Better that, than to quietly whimper and feel sorry for himself. And they will know deep down he is not wrong either.
He has shown when the service is right that he can score goals, with three in three Champions League games. It just hasn’t happened for him in the Premier League so far, although he did have one disallowed on his home debut.
Rio backs Hojlund
Rio Ferdinand believes Rasmus Hojlund is showing promise, and is doing a lot of the right things on the pitch. He is not just standing still and making life easy for defenders.
He said: “There’s too many times I’ve seen him make good runs when I watch live, and the ball ain’t coming.
“That’s why he’s frustrated when he comes off. He’s making runs and no one’s passing the ball. He’s working off minor scraps. He’s not to blame.”
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