Since the departure of Robin van Persie in 2015, Manchester United have been looking for a player to lock down the centre forward position.
Icons of the game like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Radamel Falcao have all failed to become the solidified long-term option for United upfront.
The more youthful and sprouting players like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, have also failed to become the next great United striker, unable to live up to the immaculate legacy of the heroes that came before them.
Just playing for Manchester United in the great gallery of the game that is Old Trafford, has humongous pressure. But the responsibility of being the main man, whom thousands in the Stretford End will eagerly anticipate and hope can be the one to score those crucial match winning goals to lift even the most dejected fans off their seats, is unfathomable.
With 75,000 fans looking down on you, every misplaced pass, every loose touch and every chance missed will be scrutinised.
Thus, being United’s main centre forward is a task for only the best around, with the strongest will and determination.
In 1996, the red devils looked to a Scandinavian striker as an answer to their problems. This Norwegian went by the name of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and his crucial touch in the Champions League final won Sir Alex Ferguson’s United the historic treble.
Now, 24 years since that victory, Erik ten Hag’s United are looking to another Scandinavian to be the man to bring the glory days back to the theatre of dreams.
This man is…
Rasmus Hojlund.
With United spending a huge £64m with a potential additional £8m worth of addons, on an unproven 20-year-old with just nine goals in Serie A last season, it’s no surprise that some fans are dubious and unsure about such a purchase.
Whilst doubts are inevitable, the signing of Hojlund is an exciting one.
Since the signing of Antony Martial in 2015, United have avoided signing a younger striker and opted for more short term proven forwards.
This has resulted in a consistent loop of problems, as the older players have been unable to give more than a couple years, before inevitably seeing their form drop and becoming unusable.
As a result, this has left United in need of a new centre forward every couple years.
Therefore, the signing of Hojlund could give Ten Hag a striker to craft and construct into a cult hero of the Stretford End for years to come.
Who is he?
Rasmus Winther Hojlund is a 20-year-old left footed Danish striker, with blistering speed and a huge presence at 6 foot 3 inches.
The young Dane started his career out playing for FC Copenhagen’s reserves, just four years ago.
In his second season, Hojlund scored 15 goals and assisted three in just 22 appearances for FC Copenhagen’s U19 side.
Subsequently, the talented youngster earnt a promotion to the first team at just 17 years of age, making 32 appearances for the Danish side.
In these games, Hojlund scored five with three coming in the qualification for the UEFA Conference League and the other two actually in the Conference League. However, in 19 league appearances, Hojlund failed to score. In these league appearances, Hojlund only played 459 minutes altogether, which is an average of just over 24 minutes per appearance. Thus, it would be naive to judge Hojlund at this point by his lack of league goals.
In January 2022, German side Sturm Graz signed the talented forward for just 1.95m euros.
Hojlund made 13 appearances in the second half of that season, scoring six goals and assisting one.
However, just eight appearances into his second season in Germany, having already scored six goals in the new season, Atalanta BC snapped Hojlund up for 20 million euros.
Thus, in the 2022/23 campaign just gone, Hojlund made 34 appearances for Atalanta, with 32 of those in Italy’s first division the Serie A.
Hojlund scored 10 goals and assisted four in the 34 games he played.
However, similarly to his time in Denmark, Hojlund wasn’t playing full games.
The young forward secured 1897 minutes in his 34 appearances in Italy, which averages to just over 55 minutes per game.
In September 2022, Hojlund made first team debut as a Denmark international. He wasn’t selected for the World Cup, but for the European qualifiers, the youngster has scored six goals in four games, including a hattrick against Finland.
Thus, with the abundance of growth potential and the possibility of making extra minutes next season for United, Ten Hag will be hopeful of a greater goal return.
Ultimately, these performances were enough to earn Hojlund his dream move to his boyhood club.
Rasmus has been dreaming of this moment… ✨#MUFC pic.twitter.com/5Wac35OIKm
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 7, 2023
What Hojlund will bring to United
When a new player puts on the iconic red jersey and steps foot onto the illustrious turf of Old Trafford for the first time, fans expectations can vary considerably. This in particular when a younger and more unknown player carves his name into the starting eleven.
The most optimistic fans will be dreaming of the next Cristiano Ronaldo, who can dazzle in the limelight, whilst the pessimistic fans will be haunted by the failures of the wonderkids of the past.
With Hojlund, it’s no different.
Coming in with a huge £72m price tag, the pressure is immediately mounted on the Dane and thus no matter his age, criticism will arise if the youngster can’t perform quickly.
The biggest critique floating around Hojlund is his league goal record. As mentioned previously, this is a misleading issue, but definitely one which the striker will need to address and improve on.
Raw is the term most have used to describe Hojlund. This is due to his incomplete profile, which is backed by varying qualities, which if developed, could make him world class.
Pros
Speed – Having reached 35.97km/h last season, Hojlund would also have topped United’s quickest list. Such blistering pace gives the Dane a huge advantage as he can be dangerous running in behind or in the channels and when making runs in the box. This is something which Premier League golden boot winner Erling Haaland uses so effectively.
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Dribbling – Despite having such a high stature, Hojlund is a threat and likes to dribble with the ball at his feet. In the last year, the Dane is in the 75th percentile for progressive carries with 1.96 per 90 mins and the 82nd percentile for successful take-on’s with 1.37. This compared to United’s second choice striker option Goncalo Ramos, who’s in the 55th percentile for progressive carries with 1.22 per 90 and then 61st for successful take-on’s with 0.77. With his electric speed and effective dribbling, Hojlund could be a nightmare for defenders when running at them.
Movement – This is an attribute which is incredibly difficult to teach. The art of attacking the front post or knowing how to get that extra inch on a defender can turn a player from good to great.
Hojlund possesses this skill. The young Dane likes to make those cutting-edge runs leaving defenders helpless due to his speed and awareness.
Edinson Cavani is known as the master of attacking movement and has scored 367 goals as a result. Ten Hag will be hoping the Dane can keep improving this, so to be as dangerous as the Uruguayan.
Cons
Holdup play – Despite his height, Hojlund needs to improve on his ability to be the focal target man. The former Atalanta striker’s pass completion is 73.1%, which leaves him in the 67th percentile. In addition, Hojlund is in the 46th percentile for passes attempted with just 21.35 per 90. This illustrates that Hojlund’s game does not revolve around him being the striker who drops deep to lay it off for others, like Harry Kane expertly does. In Ten Hag’s system, Hojlund will need to learn to play with his back facing the goal and become a better holdup striker.
Goalscoring – for £72m, as Hojlund grows into a starter, the Dane will have to show increased goalscoring returns. If United are to challenge for future titles, the centre forward will need to be breaching at least 20 Premier League goals per season.
However, the best things about Hojlund’s limitations, is his potential to learn and better them. As he’s only 20, Hojlund, with Ten Hag’s guidance can become a lethal striker once fully developed. The key for United is just to get the very best out of the young talent.
Ultimately, the arrival of Hojlund sparks an exciting time for United. The young Dane brings a totally different profile to the club, with world class potential.
As he gradually adapts and grows into the team, Hojlund will give United that focal point striker to look to, who can make those instinctual runs and be in the right places at the right time. It seems simple enough, but United have lacked this with Rashford who’s not a predatorial centre forward, filling in for when Wout Weghorst and Antony Martial couldn’t meet Ten Hag’s expectations. Subsequently, United should score a lot more goals as the creativity of players like Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho and Mason Mount will be exploited.
Overall, the signing of Hojlund is risky due to his uncomplete and raw nature, particularly with such a high cost, but the 20-year-old Dane has the sky at his feet and will be better than most think once he’s fully developed.