SUMMARY
- Manchester United had high hopes for their $94 million summer signing, a Danish striker from Italian club, Atalanta.
- However, the striker has been largely disappointing for the record English Champions.
Manchester United held high hopes for their star signing of the 2023 summer transfer window. ‘The Red Devils’ paid a hefty fine of $94 million to the Italian club, Atalanta to secure the service of the Danish striker. However, the striker has been largely disappointing for the record English Champions.
• NONE of Højlund’s last 3 goals have been assisted by any Man Utd player
• FIVE out of Højlund’s 8 goals this season, have not been assisted by any Man Utd playerShambles. He’s been made to feed off scraps.
Reminds me of when Fergie told his players: “I’ve brought a striker… pic.twitter.com/0QPdZXqNa9
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) January 29, 2024
However, Hojlund is not the only player at fault here. When a striker fails, the performances of the creative players should also be scrutinized. Many times, the strikers aren’t able to score goals because of the inefficiency of their teammates. And the same case can be made for United’s striker, Rasmus Hojlund.
Statistics reveal the reason behind the poor performance of Rasmus Hojlund
The 20-year-old striker has scored 8 goals in his first 26 games in the 23/24 seasons for the 20-time Premier League Champions. However, the statistics have revealed that the Danish striker has had to scrape hard for even those goals. Reportedly, United players have shockingly failed to assist Hojlund’s five out of his 8 goals. Hojlund is also unlucky to have none to thank for his last 3 games for Manchester United.
A first #EmiratesFACup goal for Rasmus Højlund 🇩🇰
It may have looked an easy finish, but @ManUtd‘s man has done well there 👏#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/zZyXQdSOyn
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 28, 2024
An article published in Goal again revealed the shocking reality of United’s creating abilities in the 23/24 season. The $94 million striker, Rasmus Hojlund has failed to receive even 150 passes from his teammates throughout the entire season. He is ranked lowest in the League amongst strikers to receive the fewest passes from their teammates.
Also, Anthony Martial, another Manchester United Striker is second on the list, highlighting the club’s biggest worry of the season. The club has been let down by a rigid playing structure and also injuries to its key creative players like Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen.
Sir Alex Ferguson gave strict orders to the United squad after signing Van Persie in 2012
The unfortunate situation of Rasmus Hojlund in the United squad has reminded the Manchester United fans of their heydays under Sir Alex Ferguson. Those were the days in the early 2010s when a fresh Robin Van Persie used to enjoy services from midfielders like Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes and the wide players. The Dutch striker used to score goals for fun, as Sir Alex and Van Persie teamed up to make United a very fearsome team.
Goal Of The Day: Robin Van Persie: Manchester United Vs Aston Villa: Old Trafford: 22 April 2013: I really loved @Persie_Official at United #OhhhhRobinVanPersie #MUFC #GoalOfTheDay #UnitedVsAstonVilla #PremierLeague #OldTrafford #RobinVanPersie #2013 #ManchesterUnited #ManUnited pic.twitter.com/d4Xmo2YHAi
— Benjamin Brazil (@bennymufc) March 21, 2020
Robin Van Persie arrived at Old Trafford from Arsenal in 2012 to win trophies. Sir Alex Ferguson was in the last days of his tenure as a United manager and wanted to end his time at the club on a high note. That is why, he considered the Dutch striker to be the leading force of his team and instructed other team members to follow his rulings.
Rio Ferdinand shared this interesting anecdote. According to the former defender, Sir Alex slammed Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, and other players for not passing the ball to Van Persie. The Scottish Manager reportedly said to the squad (via talkSPORT), “He’s [Van Persie] going to win you the league if you pass him the ball like this.’ And we (Rio Ferdinand and the other United players) wasn’t.”
And Sir Alex Ferguson was right. Manchester United won the Premier League in the 12/13 season, where Robin Van Persie finished as the top scorer with 26 goals in 38 appearances in the league. This was Sir Alex’s final Premier League season with Manchester United as he retired from soccer.