Manchester United right to choose Hojlund as exit-linked £69m striker flops

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Goncalo Ramos is already facing an exit from Paris Saint-Germain only a few months after Premier League giants Manchester United were being linked with the £69 million former Benfica striker.

The Portugal international shot to fame with that hat-trick against Switzerland at the Qatar World Cup just over a year ago.

It’s telling, however, that he scored as many goals within just 40 minutes of that knockout stage clash in December 2022 as he has in nearly 700 since swapping Benfica for the French champions last summer.

Goncalo Ramos flopping at PSG

Goncalo Ramos is stuck on just three Ligue 1 strikes from 13 appearances in a PSG shirt.

In fact, he’s been so underwhelming, so disappointingly ineffective, that PSG may already be willing to cash in and cut their losses. According to L’Equipe, head coach Luis Enrique has serious reservations about whether Ramos – who joined from Benfica for an eye-watering £69 million – is capable of leading the line against PSG’s more high-profile opponents both at home and abroad.

Ramos, after all, did not find the net even once across five Champions League group-stage outings.

L’Equipe have supposedly been informed that PSG are not averse to letting Ramos go before the month is out too, though the chances of Manchester United renewing their interest look slim. Funds are tight at Old Trafford, after all. What’s more, the feeling is that, if United do opt to bring in a number nine, they will go for a more experienced option to ease the burden on Rasmus Hojlund. 

A loan might be ideal but there is no suggestion that possibility is on the table, currently.

Erik ten Hag chose Rasmus Hojlund

Hojlund has endured a mixed time at the Red Devils so far.

And Ramos, while prolific at Benfica, would arrive in a similar situation to the powerhouse Scandinavian, relatively unproven in a major European league and expected to shoulder the goalscoring burden in one of Europe’s most high-pressure environments.

According to A Bola, Man United sent scouts to watch Ramos on numerous occasions last term before opting to bet the farm on Hojlund instead. Interestingly, there was also interest from the Old Trafford outfit in Randal Kolo Muani, who also ended up securing a mega-money switch to Paris.

The former Frankfurt talisman has also struggled to justify his monstrous price-tag, two of his seven PSG goals coming against sixth-tier US Revel in the Coupe de France.