‘It’s clear’… Ruben Amorim says Man Utd player has ‘a lot of potential’, predicts improvement in form

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Ruben Amorim has been left picking up the pieces of the poor recruitment under Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United have a proper footballing structure right now, but this has not always been the case. Ineos have permanently appointed Christopher Vivell as recruitment director which should have a substantial impact.

Under Ten Hag’s management, it seems he was making the executive calls over which players were to be signed – which saw United sign five Ajax players who worked with Ten Hag in Holland.

Players Ten Hag signed after working together at Ajax

• Andre Onana
• Antony
• Lisandro Martinez
• Matthijs de Ligt
• Noussair Mazraoui

There was also a trend of United signing players who were represented by Ten Hag’s agent SEG – which was likely a coincidence, but still did not work out well for the club.

So the squad Amorim has inherited is not only severely lacking quality but also totally unsuited to his system which is clear from the slow adaptation this season.

But now, one of Ten Hag’s biggest flops has been defended by Amorim.

• READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Man Utd’s head coach – Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim defends Rasmus Hojlund amid 16-game goalless streak

Among the worst pieces of business, United did under Ten Hag was the decision to spend £64m on an unproven Rasmus Hojlund.

The potential appeared to be there, yet such a fee for a player with just nine Serie A goals was a shambolic decision and under the current regime he would have cost half that.

Now, Hojlund is 16 games without a goal for United yet retains the backing of Amorim who got behind his striker during the pre-Ipswich press conference, as seen on MUTV.

“I think it’s clear, we as a team aren’t helping Rasmus”, Amorim admitted. “We don’t create a lot of chances. We have a lack of threat and you can feel it in the games.

“Sometimes we are in the final third but you don’t feel like we are a very dangerous team. So I have this feeling we are not helping the strikers. I think Rasmus has a lot of potential. If we improve the way we play he will have more opportunities to score.”

Amorim then continued to address what he likes about Hojlund, suggesting confidence is the biggest factor in his form.

“We have to look at Rasmus [Hojlund] as a player – he has the pace, he has the technique, he’s scored some goals that are really hard to score.

“Sometimes he doesn’t choose the better run, sometimes he’s so anxious to touch the ball and he moves away from the goal. We address that in training but sometimes it is the confidence of the player.”

• READ: Who is Rasmus Hojlund? Inside the life of Manchester United’s dynamic Danish forward

Manchester United need more from a striker than what Rasmus Hojlund currently offers

In the case of Hojlund, Amorim is correct to say the Dane is not being helped by his teammates with practically nothing being created for the striker.

However, United sit 15th in the league and a top-class number nine would not only finish chances but play an integral role in the game with hold-up play and creating for himself and others.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
14	EvertonEverton	26	7	10	9	29	33	-4	31
15	Man UtdManchester United	26	8	6	12	30	37	-7	30
16	West HamWest Ham	26	8	6	12	30	47	-17	30

Hojlund is among the league’s very worst in several areas including shots per 90, expected assists per 90, successful passes per 90, touches per 90 and dribbles per 90 – all of which are more important than his goal record.

Hojlund has scored just two Premier League goals all season as well which is a poor record related to his positional peers.

This shows that Hojlund’s struggles go beyond merely sticking the ball into the net – but these are all things which are coachable if the player is keen on improving.

If Amorim sees Hojlund as capable of improving then we would be inclined to have trust – but right now it speaks volumes that 17-year-old Chido Obi looks better than the 22-year-old.