Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund has been widely praised in his native Denmark after a sensational performance for the club.
Two goals for Rasmus Hojlund was not enough for Manchester United in midweek, but it did offer genuine reasons for fans to be cheerful. There was a hugely positive reason to the Dane’s performance from fans and pundits alike.
Paul Scholes even compared Hojlund’s finishing ability to his former teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Hojlund, 20, has captured the imagination in Denmark too. Ahead of two matches against his former club Copenhagen, there is huge interest in the Manchester United striker.
Rasmus Hojlund praised in Denmark
Danish outlet Bold.dk spoke especially highly of Rasmus Hojlund’s second goal on the night.
Their report read: “[He] sprinted away from his nearest opponent before chipping the ball over Fernando Muslera in the Galatasaray goal. World-class goal by Højlund, who was heading for the title as match winner.”
Former Copenhagen teammate Pep Biel told Tipsbladet: “He has enormous potential, as he shows. I am very happy for him because now he is getting the experience he lacked in Copenhagen. But now that he has got it, he shows what a great future he has.
“He is doing well, but this is only the beginning. He has the potential to do what he does and more. He seems to be getting further.”
There was detailed analysis from legendary Danish striker Preben Elkjær, who told Tipsbladet that Hojlund’s finishing ability and determination makes him a real force in the final third.
He said: “He does what I have always thought real strikers should do. They have to be quick enough when they get the ball and there is one opponent. They have to bypass him and pass by. So, attack the target. Don’t always think that you have to wait for a few more to come along. That is a striker instinct. A real attacking instinct
“And on top of that, he has the ability to score a nice goal and lob it over the goalkeeper. It was really nice, and therefore I also think that those in Manchester are breathing a sigh of relief. Because here they have something they can pin their hopes on.”
He is right. Manchester United can take solace that even in this woeful, desperate moment, that the club have finally found the long-term, superstar striker the club has been searching for.
Rasmus Hojlund is not happy
Rasmus Hojlund spoke to the Danish media after the game and lamented the team’s inability to keep a lead.
Bold.dk reported that Hojlund told Viaplay: “It’s a bit of a messy feeling. Of course, for me it’s about scoring goals, but it’s about winning football matches, and we’re not doing that at the moment.
“It must have something to do with focus. I’m not a coach, so I don’t have the key to it, but I think it has something to do with maintaining focus right after you’ve scored a goal.”
United conceded two of the goals within minutes of scoring themselves. Similar happened twice away at Bayern Munich, and once against Arsenal.
For a team which has found it tricky to score goals, the last thing you can afford to do is concede straight away. And for United, this has become a nasty habit.
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