Rasmus Hojlund wants to make history in the Europa League final following a disappointing season at Manchester United.
Manchester United have a glorious chance to salvage their season and end it on a high when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
The winners in Bilbao on Wednesday night will secure a place in the Champions League, despite being destined to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League, just above the relegation zone.
Both teams are going into the game with injury problems. United will be without Lisandro Martinez and Joshua Zirkzee, while Ruben Amorim is waiting for Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Diogo Dalot to undergo late fitness tests after missing recent matches.
On the other hand, Tottenham will be without James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
Rasmus Hojlund wants to write himself into Manchester United history
There is savage pressure on United and Tottenham ahead of the final because neither team wants to be without European football next season, despite starting the 2024/25 campaign with plans to compete for a place in the top four.
One United player facing a lot of that pressure is Rasmus Hojlund. The 22-year-old has struggled with the responsibility of leading the line for United, managing just 10 games across all competitions.
United fans will hope that Hojlund can put his struggles behind him, which, to be fair to the striker, he’s done in the Europa League this season.
Hojlund’s best form since joining United has come in Europe. The Denmark international has scored six goals in the Europa League, with the latest coming in United’s 4-1 win over Athletic Club at Old Trafford.
Speaking to former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves ahead of the final, Hojlund stressed his desire to be “remembered” by United fans is a motivating factor.
“There’s a lot of opinions and pressure at this football club, but then again you’re going to be written into history if you do win,” Hojlund told TNT Sports.
“That’s why I’m here – I want to be part of this great club’s history and want to be remembered.”
Hojlund also acknowledged United’s turbulent campaign in the Premier League. The Red Devils are currently positioned 16th in the Premier League, with Tottenham sitting 17th.
“Domestically, it’s not been great, but we’re here to win trophies and if we can get that over the line on Wednesday, it’s going to be an amazing thing to do,” he added.
“It’s going to be a big game. Two clubs obviously that have been struggling in the domestic league, but then in a European final, it’s incredible.
“It’s going to be an important game for both teams, a good team we’re going to face, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity.”
Hojlund had no support when he joined Man Utd
It was perhaps unfair on Hojlund to be expected to lead the line for United at such a young age.
Erik ten Hag wanted to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham, but United opted for a younger alternative with plans to help his development as a striker.
Except Hojlund came in and was suddenly expected to be United’s main man up top.
During his pre-final interview, Hargreaves asked Hojlund whether he would have settled better if eased into the starting line-up following his arrival.
Hojlund said: “You can put it in two ways – you can do it like you say [learn from other players] or you can be thrown in like I’ve been.
“I’m obviously not going to sit here and say I don’t want to play, but then again, last year Anthony [Martial] was there and he played here for loads of years, but he was unlucky and got injuries, so I had to take a lot of the game time.
“That [Martial playing] could have been nice, especially in the beginning, because I was new and had to learn my way to be a United player, get used to these facilities and find a house and it would have been nice to have a bit of support.”
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