0 key passes, 6/9 duels lost: £54m Man Utd star had 0 shots on Int'l duty, big concern for Amorim - opinion
Manchester United are facing serious challenges in front of goal for a second consecutive season.
Rasmus Hojlund missed the initial part of the 2024/25 campaign due to a hamstring injury.
The £54 million-rated forward joined Man United in the summer of 2023 with big expectations.
However, his development has stalled over the past 12 months. The start of the new season has also been underwhelming.
Hojlund featured twice for Denmark in the November international break against Spain and Serbia.
He played 79 minutes in the 1-2 loss to Spain and came off the bench for a 20-minute cameo in the goalless draw with Serbia.
Hojlund failed to register a single shot in either of the encounters. He also struggled in duels, winning just three of his nine.
The major concern was the 21-year-old’s inability to get involved in those games.
He attempted just 20 passes in nearly 100 minutes and failed to make a single key pass.
The former Atalanta centre-forward has also struggled to make an impact for United lately, with his influence on the pitch remaining limited.
He last scored in the Premier League victory over Brentford in mid-October.
Since then, he has played nine games but failed to contribute with goals or assists.
United head coach Ruben Amorim will be deeply concerned with Hojlund’s dismal form.
The striker possesses the qualities to thrive in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, with the ability to make runs into channels with his quick acceleration.
However, he must show greater consistency if he wants to succeed at United.
The Red Devils are not expected to sign a new striker in January.
Hojlund has six months to prove he can have a similar impact under Amorim as Viktor Gyokeres did at Sporting CP.
Stats from transfermarkt.com and sofascore.com