Rasmus Hojlund, when asked to pick his favourite Manchester United goal thus far, had a few stand-out finishes to pick from.
There was, of course, the instinctive stab which opened his Premier League account at the 16th time of asking in that dramatic 3-2 Boxing Day win over Aston Villa. A volley straight out of the Mark Hughes playbook.
Surely Rasmus Hojlund would have been tempted to mention that sublime chip to beat Brentford and put some slack in Erik ten Hag’s rope. A winner wonderfully taken by Hojlund and beautifully created by Bruno Fernandes.
A couple of very well-taken finishes on his supposedly weaker right boot, in 3-0 and 3-2 wins over West Ham and Newcastle, also come to mind.
Yet, Hojlund would settle instead for that rampaging run and finish against Galatasaray and that left-footed thump against Tottenham Hotspur.
A pair of efforts Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and co would have been proud of, albeit goals undermined by an error-strewn Manchester United who’s defensive mishaps ensured that neither finish would go down as the winner it really deserved to be.
Rasmus Hojlund picks his best Manchester United goals
“For me, it probably has to by my second goal against Galatasaray in the Champions League,” Hojlund muses, asked by Man United’s official website to name his favourite Red Devils goal.
“Or the Spurs one at home, in the top corner. I liked that one as well.”
Hojlund is certainly a scorer of great goals. Whether the Denmark international can blossom into a truly great goalscorer, however, only time will tell.
That debut season in English football was one full of promise – Hojlund became the youngest ever Premier League player to score in six straight games – but the obvious weaknesses in his game have yet to really be addressed.
Unfortunately, Hojlund will no longer have Van Nistelrooy to impart invaluable advice on the training pitch either. One of the finest all-round number nines in Manchester United’s history bid an emotional farewell to Old Trafford – for the second time – upon Ruben Amorim’s arrival a few weeks ago.
“[Hojlund must] stay calm and believe in himself. Believe in his qualities like I do, like his teammates do,” Van Nistelrooy said during his brief but fun spell as interim boss.
“He is young. He is promising. The work he is putting in will pay off. I am confident in that.
“[What United ask of Hojlund] depends on the game. When its needed for him to hold-up and get players into third-man positions, he does a brilliant job as well. And he is a guy who can change a game in a second.”
Ruben Amorim sends message to Hojlund and Man United forwards
There have been flashes of wonderful link-play – Hojlund to bamboozle defenders with a little flick around the corner before playing the ball out to the wings – but he still has a tendency of relying on his brawn rather than his brain to win individual battles.
Fortunately, in Ruben Amorim, Man United’s new head coach is a man who helped Viktor Gyokeres blossom into a truly elite centre-forward even if Coventry City’s role in the Swede’s rise should not be understated.
“Of course, there is a concern [that we don’t score enough goals],” Amorim said ahead of Man United’s Europa League clash with Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, keen to get more not only out of Hojlund but the rest of the Red Devils’ often profligate forwards.
“We have to improve as a team. We have quality players that can score so many goals. We will try to improve as a team and then Ras, Josh [Zirkzee], Rash [Marcus Rashford] will score more goals.
“Even Bruno [Fernandes] has to score more goals. Amad [Diallo] has to be better in front of goal. All these guys need to improve and we can score so many goals.
“We need to improve as a team, it’s not about needing a new striker. These players can score more goals.”
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