Rasmus Hojlund’s latest Manchester United display had one-time Premier League winner Chris Sutton feeling sorry for the service-starved centre-forward.
Facing off against a pair of defensive colossuses in Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae, Rasmus Hojlund was always up against it adding to his impressive tally of five Champions League group-stage goals.
But Manchester United’s £64 million signing from Atalanta certainly wasn’t helped by a remarkable lack of service, feeding off scraps once again.
“I’ve got massive sympathy for Hojlund,” Chris Sutton, the former Celtic, Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers striker, told BBC Sport.
“I honestly don’t know if he’s any good or not! What sort of service does he get?”
Manchester United out of Europe
It’s been a common theme surrounding Hojlund’s debut season at Old Trafford. The Denmark international is yet to open his Premier League account for Erik ten Hag’s side but you’d be hard pressed to find a single Red Devils supporter laying the blame at his door. It’s not as if Hojlund has squandered a host of opportunities in front of goal, after all, genuine goalscoring chances few and far between.
“He has made a really good impression on me. I think he is a really good player,” former Man United defender Jaap Stam told Tipsbladet a month ago. His comments equally pertinent today.
“He is very talented. He has an excellent left foot, a really good physique and lots of speed. And he has shown that in his first matches for United.
“When you come to such a big club as a very young man, it is not easy (for Hojlund) to show his qualities. Because he also needs the players around him (to help out). He needs them to put him on the stage and give him opportunities to score.”
Erik ten Hag’s side now travel to Anfield
Hojlund’s wait for a first Premier League goal in the famous red shirt is likely to go on, too, should United serve up a similarly toothless display away to arch rivals Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
It is a game where he could become a hero, but it could be another gruelling encounter for the Dane.
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