Michael Carrick’s appointment has reignited the talk of Marcus Rashford’s Man Utd return, but Owen Hargreaves has made an even bolder claim about Rasmus Hojlund.
Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund are on loan with optional buy clauses, although the latter’s clause becomes an obligation under a few parameters.
As it stands, it’s a matter of when, and not if, Hojlund signs for Napoli permanently, but it wouldn’t be the case if it were up to Owen Hargreaves.
Did Manchester United make a mistake sending Rasmus Hojlund on loan?
Hargreaves has made a Hojlund return claim that is sure to get people talking, but misses the point entirely.
Owen Hargreaves’s Rasmus Hojlund Man Utd return claim
Hojlund’s case is not the same than Rashford’s, because the Dane never actually wanted to leave Old Trafford until the very end.
Ruben Amorim completely froze him out, and Benjamin Sesko’s arrival was a signal to him to either leave or sit on the bench.
Hojlund’s exploits for Napoli have been much better, and that has raised questions about United not using him correctly.
Hargreaves, speaking on TNT Sport, argued that while Rashford’s return under Carrick is certainly exciting, Hojlund would find a lot of joy playing in this system.
He said: “Can you imagine Rashford back in the team with Carrick? But Hojlund as well. He’s tearing it up in Serie A. Carrick would be the perfect one to get something out of him.
“They are all your players!”
Joe Cole added that if Hojlund wasn’t already on a United contract, they’d be looking at him as a potential transfer target in the upcoming summer, which is ‘insane’.
Hargreaves’ Hojlund claim misses the mark
While Hojlund’s form in Serie A will surely warrant some envious glances from Man Utd fans, the club have been here before.
Forget Hojlund, the list of players who moved from United to Serie A and found a second wind is long.
Matteo Darmian, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, Scott McTominay, and more have liked the pace and playing style of Italy compared to the frantic nature of the Premier League.
Hojlund’s success in Italy can’t be transposed directly to Man United, and in this case, they already have a sample size to rule that out.
Contrast that to Sesko, who, even when he wasn’t scoring as regularly as he is now, showed there is far more to his game than just scoring.
Hojlund, by the end of his time at the club, just looked defeated and devoid of confidence, playing like someone who had let the pressure get to him.
Sesko, in contrast, kept his head up despite a slow start with a steely determination and has since been rewarded for it with regular goals.
Hojlund has found a situation comfortable for him, and United have found an exciting project in Sesko. There’s no need to rock the apple cart to see a hypothesis that has already failed in action again.
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