Rasmus Hojlund was the definite star of the show for Manchester United against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday evening in a 2-1 win.
However, a win was not always on the cards for Ruben Amorim.
After a dismal first-half performance, the 48th minute brought a crushing blow as Andre Onana made a howler of an error as he attempted to build out from the back. This mistake directly led to the Plzen opener.
Manchester United looked like they were headed for defeat, with no real response to conceding. That was until an inspired moment of magic from Amad Diallo kicked the Red Devils into gear and Rasmus Hojlund drew the sides level.
Hojlund then grabbed a second 16 minutes after his first goal. His second was a brilliant strike which turned out to be the winner on the night as United beat Plzen 2-1.
This goal was more than just a winner for United but also saw him break a record held by both Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford.
Rasmus Hojlund smashes Wayne Rooney record
Some of the discourse around Hojlund at United would make you think that he was already a flop, following his £64m move two years ago.
However, this could not be further from the truth and he proved that once again on Thursday night.
Heading into the game in the Czech Republic, Hojlund needed one goal to level Rooney and Rashford as the third player to score nine goals for United in Europe while aged 21 or younger.
The Dane went one better as his brace put him clear at the top of this particular scoring chart, breaking the record in the process which is an awfully impressive feat considering United’s European form in recent seasons.
Hojlund will be hoping this is not the only record of Rooney’s that he beats, with United’s top goal-scorer record now a mere 230 goals away (Hojlund has 23, Rooney 253).
This isn’t the first record Hojlund has broken, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s 17-year United record also being smashed back in February.
Hojlund simply must be starting for Manchester United
Hojlund’s impact against Plzen should settle the debate of who United’s first-choice striker should be, with the Dane offering a lot more than Joshua Zirkzee and the disappointing Rashford.
With his two goals, Hojlund took his total United tally to 23 goals, a figure which is more than any of his teammates have managed since he joined.
This was also his fifth goal under Amorim in four starts and a goal every 56.2 minutes – proving that he has all the tools to be an elite striker. If given chances in front of goal, Hojlund will take them and for this reason, we struggle to envision the Danish international not being the first choice going forward.
If this continues, Hojlund will effectively be scratching Viktor Gyokeres‘ name off Amorim’s wishlist, announcing himself as the only starting No.9 needed.
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