Manchester United were handed a deadly blow on Friday as Rasmus Hojlund was confirmed to be out injured once more.
We can’t have anything good at Manchester United, can we? The minute things are looking good and the squad has settled, yet another injury, in an injury-plagued campaign springs up.
This time, it’s an injury to the man who has been bossing it at Old Trafford lately, with seven goals in his last six, Rasmus Hojlund.
The 21-year-old Dane, who only joined the club last summer, has now been confirmed to be missing for as many as three weeks courtesy of a muscle injury sustained in training.
This a horrific blow for United given his goalscoring streak, although it may have opened the door for an academy star that Erik ten Hag is high on to make his first start for the club.
Omari Forson’s chance may have just arrived at Manchester United
Despite being a player that Ten Hag rates extremely highly, Omari Forson has featured an incredibly small amount of times for the first team this season.
A standout last summer in the preseason tour in which his regular minutes had many assuming he was in line for a breakout season. But it’s yet to happen for the teenager, despite him becoming a regular on the bench for United.
This is bizarre considering Ten Hag is believed to view Forson as a bigger talent than both Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri.
So with Hojlund out and Marcus Rashford likely to take his place, Forson could finally be afforded his chance in the spotlight which would also allow Alejandro Garnacho to remain on the right side.
A game at home against Fulham in front of a packed Old Trafford could be the absolute perfect time to hand this youngster his first start for United.
Omari Forson deserves his chance in the starting line-up
Despite playing just four Premier League minutes this season – six senior minutes in total – Forson has one assist. He set up – albeit playing a minor role – Kobbie Mainoo‘s stunning goal against Wolves earlier this month.
The likelihood of Forson starting also appears to be high, with Laurie Whitwell reporting for The Athletic that the youngster is ‘in the frame’ for his full debut.
If this is the case, the senior minutes would be fully deserved, and they could help him show Ten Hag that he’s ready to be trusted at the highest level, as he’s certainly now a level above playing academy games.
This is evident from his stats while playing academy games this season, Forson has played just eight games for the academy this season as he often finds himself among Ten Hag’s substitutes.
But in these games, he’s scored seven and assisted two – as per Transfermarkt – which just proves he deserves a chance in the first team.
In Forson, Ten Hag should place the trust he so clearly has and allow him the opportunity to showcase his talent at the highest level.
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