Manchester United missed out on a Scandavenian striker in 2020. If the Red Devils had listened to the demands of Ole Gunnar Soljskaer, the Norwegian manager could have had Bruno Fernandes and Erling Haaland in the same window. However, they didn’t want to miss out on another one, as they have signed Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.
Hojlund becomes Manchester United’s third signing of the transfer window. The Red Devils have seen Mason Mount and Andre Onana come through the doors at Old Trafford, and they cannot wait to see their addition. If Hojlund is anything like the striker they missed out on three years ago, the Old Trafford faithful is in for a treat. However, let’s see how the Denmark forward will fit into the current Manchester United side.
Comparisons with Erling Haaland
It will totally be unfair to put the young Denmark international Hojlund in the same category as the Manchester City striker. Haaland walked into a team that already were Premier League champions. He elevated them to become one of the only two teams in England's history to win the Treble.
Hojlund and Manchester United have question marks to answer in this case. He has only had one senior season with Atalanta, where he scored 10 goals. If he wants to lead the line at Old Trafford, he should be putting in better numbers than that.
Hojlund comes into the Manchester United team with a lot of potential, but that potential is unproven. On the other hand, Haaland came into the Manchester City side after breaking records after records at Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund.
Although Hojlund is not as explosive as Haaland, he definitely has attributes that make the Manchester City striker the best number 9 in the world. The 20-year-old is a powerful runner and has the ability to bully defenses. Hence, he can be extremely lethal in a counter-attacking system.
Manchester United scored more counter-attacking goals (9) than anybody else in the Premier League last season. By adding Hojlund to the explosiveness of Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Jadon Sancho, the Red Devils could be a devastating team.
Rasmus Hojlund in Manchester United’s lineup
Erik ten Hag prefers to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Last season, he had three strikers, i.e., Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial, and Wout Weghorst. Now, it is very likely that all three of them could not be Manchester United players in the first Premier League game of the season.
Manchester United need goals from their strikers, something they barely got last season. Even with Marcus Rashford having his best career season, they finished behind Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League goalscoring tally. Ronaldo, Martial, and Weghorst combined to score 14 goals across all competitions last season, which is simply not enough.
Hojlund played 1,836 minutes last season for Atalanta. He had a decent goalscoring rate in Italy, which he can improve at Old Trafford. However, he had a conversion rate of just 16.7% and missed 11 chances in Serie A, the highest in the Italian top flight.
However, Manchester United fans don’t need to worry as they have the right coaching staff to help Hojlund with his conversion. Rashford is the prime example, who scored 30 goals last season after netting just five times in the previous season.
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