Former Man Utd player says Hojlund 'thrown into the deep end' but has qualities to succeed

Manchester United may still be waiting for Rasmus Hojlund to meet the expectations set upon him when they acquired the striker in 2023, but a former Red Devil says the blame for any perceived underperformanced does not lie on the player.

 

Hojlund joined United to much fanfare as a 20-year-old, fetching a reported £64 million transfer fee as the club reshaped the squad under then-manager Erik ten Hag.

The Dane has since appeared nearly 100 times for the Red Devils, scoring just 26 times during that span. Hojlund's struggles have earned the forward criticism, but longtime former United player Clayton Blackmore believes the blame should be shouldered by Ten Hag and the former braintrust at Old Trafford.

Blackmore thinks Hojlund could have benefitted by learning from an experienced player rather than being asked to play as much as he did during his first two seasons with United.

“I do feel for Højlund. He’s a young boy and he’s still learning,' Blackmore told AceOdds.com. "I think [Cristiano] Ronaldo would have been a great player for Højlund to learn from and play off. Now he’s been thrown into the deep end and has to learn by himself.

“He only had 13 senior goals that season when United signed him which is another big decision from Ten Hag. I dunno what he was thinking, bringing in so many unproven players in the Premier League. It’s a different beast.”

Despite Hojlund's lack of production, Blackmore has seen enough to back the striker to succeed in the future. However, the retired Wales international believes Hojlund needs to adjust how he's playing in order to maximise his talent.

“I do think Højlund has the qualities to succeed," Blackmore said. "I just think he plays the number nine role incorrectly at times. He backs into centre backs and that’s not how to do it. I spoke to Mark Hughes about it and he gave some advice.

“He said Højlund should back into the defender and then push away from them to get onto the ball. Give yourself five or six yards to control the ball and then do what you want with it. Instead he’s trying to control the ball and stand on the centre half.

“He’s too busy fighting. He didn’t look like a good centre forward. He wasn’t getting into the right positions.

"He also wasn’t getting into the penalty box when crosses came in. But I’ve seen him and he can run, his feet are good and he’s got it all there to be a top striker.” 

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