Rasmus Hojlund played 71 minutes in the Manchester derby before being replaced by Joshua Zirkzee. And even before that, the Danish striker could have been substituted by coach Ruben Amorim at any time.
The 22-year-old only touched the ball 14 times against Man City and most of them were ineffective. Hojlund has only scored 1 goal in the last 24 appearances for Man United, against Leicester City. Therefore, in some ways, Hojlund's poor performance against Man City is not surprising. Only the most optimistic fans of the "Red Devils" dare to think that this striker will shine.
"The club has no way to help Hojlund. Man United are very secretive in threatening the opponent's goal and creating opportunities. Everyone feels that clearly in every match.
Sometimes Man United had a lot of possession in the last third of the field but could not create enough pressure. When the team was defending, the opponent also saw that we were unlikely to change the state quickly. From there, it will be difficult to create opportunities for the strikers," Amorim said at the end of February.
But while Hojlund's failure to score is a long-standing problem for Man United, his style of play also deserves Amorim's attention. He did not contribute anything other than trying to run pure, often going into dead ends.
As Man United break forward, Hojlund's limitations mean he will run towards the ball. The striker born in 2003 often narrowed his travel space and did not make many moves to enter the danger zone. The best strikers often confuse the opposing defenders by moving flexibly. However, Hojlund failed to do so.
Hojlund had no shots in 71 minutes on the pitch and only made nine passes. The ability to connect Hojlund with Man United's satellites is weak.
It is clear that Hojlund needs to be trained better in terms of playing mindset, but it is also possible that this striker cannot change. With a fee of £70 million, the former Atalanta player should have known how to play as a central striker right at Old Trafford.
"I always think Hojlund is a potential player. If Man United improve their playing style, I will probably help him more. Hojlund is still very young and has a lot of opportunities to develop as a centre-forward" - Amorim added.
