SUMMARY
- Former Manchester United forward Louis Saha speaks about what Rasmus Hojlund needs to do.
- The Red Devils have struggled the most in the final third of the pitch.
Manchester United have been having a disappointing season yet again and it’s only halfway through the 2023/24 season. The Red Devils didn’t make it past the UEFA Champions League group stages. And worse, they didn’t even qualify for the Europa League as well. This speaks at length about how the situation at Old Trafford is right now.
Many have pointed the finger at Erik ten Hag, who has failed to transform the team’s play style as many expected. The team’s frontline has been far from successful, with Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund, and Antony, all displaying sub-par performances. Recently, Man Utd legend Louis Saha weighed in on United’s problem.
He said to BettingOdds.com, “Even the wingers don’t know what to do. It’s really hard for Hojlund to find space when the guys who are supposed to give him the ball don’t know where to go. It’s really hard, Antony constantly comes back inside and always finds a way to shoot, that’s not good enough for a striker.”
“As an experienced number nine, I would be fuming, this is useless. This is not the way I will score goals, most goals from a number nine come from between the goalkeeper and the defenders, not between four or five players. Rashford on the left is pretty much the same,” Saha added.
Saha, a lethal finisher back in his day, also mentioned that Karim Benzema would be an ideal signing for the Red Devils, and would help in Hojlund’s movement as well. Saha points out that both Antony and Rashford have failed to accommodate Hojlund’s play style, and that has been certainly the reason for United’s problems in the final third.
Both Rashford and Antony have struggled massively to beat their man to get the ball across to their main man, which has often been a problem. Moreover, both of the wingers have mostly aimed to get a shot off right away, and their distribution has come under harsh criticism as well.
Louis Saha points out the major difference between Erik ten Hag and Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United
Saha wasn’t a player who scored more than 30 goals in the league season every year. However, the Frenchman was a good rotational player for Sir Alex Ferguson. In 124 games, the striker scored 42 goals and made 17 assists. It was a decent number for a player who fought tough battles against serious injuries.
He was one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s trusted players, which meant that he knew about the legendary manager’s work ethic behind the scenes. He said, “United needs to find players who want to play for the shirt, it should be easy but it’s often hard with agents trying to find the best deal.”
“There are good players out there who have the right attitude and confidence, the right conversations just need to happen. This is why Sir Alex Ferguson was so good, he would take 6 months to have these talks and understand the players,” Saha praised the manager.
Saha’s comments about Sir Alex are just the tip of the iceberg. There have been many to praise the Scottish manager’s man-management. In addition, the soccer world did not regard him as a master tactician, but a clever manager who knew how to work best with his managers. Ultimately, this was one of the reasons why Manchester United was such a successful team on the field.
Erik ten Hag has struggled with some of his players, mainly Jadon Sancho. The Dutch manager has clashed with the player, which has led to his loan transfer back to Borussia Dortmund. As Saha mentions, ten Hag may well and truly be able to do wonders if he could understand his players better to get the best out of them.