Manchester United have run out of patience with Rasmus Hojlund | OneFootball

Senior figures at Old Trafford are believed to have run out of patience with Rasmus Hojlund as the Manchester United striker’s dismal form shows no sign of relenting.

Hojlund, 22, has scored just four times in the Premier League this season while delivering performances that range from bad to woeful. Without goals, the Danish international’s poor all-round play is brutally exposed as he can offer neither a reliable target for his teammates to play off nor a threat in behind with clever runs.

Ironically, Hojlund’s best attribute is his finishing with the number nime demonstrating a well-rounded selection of strikes across his two years in Manchester.

But the 22-year-old is bizarrely reticent in front of goal. He has often refused to shoot at times this season when the opportunity has presented – a reflection of a lack of confidence but also a strange aversion to risk, in a position that demands a gambler.

This season has exposed the unfortunate truth that without a goal, Hojlund offers virtually nothing to his team. Last night’s abject display in the 1-0 loss to Chelsea was the latest offering to compound this depressing reality, though it was a performance as unsurprising as it was poor.

Joshua Zirkzee – signed from Bologna in the summer – is not a natural number nine, but provides a world of difference in terms of link-up play and technical ability. The Dutchman does not offer a goal threat, but then neither does Hojlund at present.

Zirkzee was widely criticised when he first arrived at Old Trafford for a lackadaisical approach that bordered on laziness. But the 23-year-old has demonstrated a marked improvement in attitude and application under Ruben Amorim – a coach who demands hard work from his players – which stands him in direct contrast to Hojlund.

Hojlund has increasingly cut a disinterested player when leading the line for United with his work-rate criticised on numerous occasions by fans in recent performances. And it appears this accusation is now shared by the hierarchy at Old Trafford.

Samuel Luckhurst (Manchester Evening News) reveals “senior figures at United are not having Hojlund” with one well-connected source contending “he does not work hard enough.”

The report further states Amorim’s coaching staff have increasingly run out of faith in the Danish international.

Amorim’s emphasis on work-rate from his players, particularly those in the forward line, suggests the growing perception at Old Trafford that Hojlund is not matching this demand does not bode well for the Dane’s future. He has been linked with a return to Italy with Juventus and Napoli mooted as possible options.

If a striker does not offer goals; if a striker does not offer link-up play, or a threat in behind; and a striker is not willing to run, then what is the point of that striker?

Hojlund is quickly becoming a pointless player for United, and the club’s executive branch appear ready to make a point of showing him the exit door this summer.

Featured image by Shaun Botterill via Getty Images

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social