The Dane has had a tough start to at least the Premier League life, as he took to the Champions League like duck to water, scoring five in six before Manchester United got dumped out.

When watching the 21-year-old, it’s obvious how this is his first season in a top-five league as a proper, undisputed starter.

Raw stats aside, there are clear deficiencies in his game with his back-to-goal, link-up play, and even having the smell of goal in the final third sometimes.

However, that doesn’t mean he is a problem, far from it, as the latest stats show.

Statman Dave has posted on his account that United have created a grand total of five chances for their striker in their last eight games.

These include blanks against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bournemouth, and Burnley, while three of his chances came against Sheffield United.

It is no wonder then that Hojlund’s only goal in the last eight has come against the Blades. The same post references the fact that Manchester City created six chances for Erling Haaland when he scored four against Wolves in a recent game.

The current pact means Hojlund is at a 20% chance conversion rate, scoring one goal from five chances created for him.

For reference, as per Transfermarkt, Newcastle United lead the Premier League with a shot conversion rate of 12.2%.

While the chance conversion and shot conversion rates are not the same, the lesson here is that Hojlund is actually on par, or even exceeding the figures of an average player.

This is right in line with The Peoples Person’s recent report which said that some of his teammates are “reluctant” to pass to him due to his barren spell in front of goal.

It shows that Hojlund’s lean run isn’t a result of him being wasteful, he has been dealt an unwinnable hand, where the team doesn’t know what it is supposed to do in the final third.

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This was their 14th defeat in the Premier League, the most losses in any campaign since the competition’s inception, and judging from the safety-first approach employed by manager Erik ten Hag, more losses are on the cards.

After their most recent hammering at the hands of Crystal Palace, the Dutchman decided to finally shut shop against the Gunners and that resulted in United enjoying the majority of possession but hardly threatened the opposition goal.

Even with the clock ticking down, the Red Devils showed little urgency and the form of Rasmus Hojlund is another concern.

Rasmus’ difficult debut season

The Dane is hardly getting any service from his fellow attackers while the 21-year-old seems to be struggling with the physicality in the English top flight and is often seen backing into defenders trying to hold on to the ball.

With his full focus on trying to win the physical battle, he mostly ends up losing the ball and that does not allow the team to relieve some of the pressure.

Ten Hag had asked for reinforcements last summer as well as in January as he felt it would be wrong to overburden the Denmark international considering his limited experience.

But no help was forthcoming and with Marcus Rashford’s form falling off a cliff while Anthony Martial remains sidelined, Ten Hag has had no choice but to keep playing Hojlund, who looks in need of a break.

Sesko remains a target

An elite summer signing is required to alleviate some of the pressure off the former Atalanta starlet’s shoulders and one name that has been doing the rounds for quite some time is Benjamin Sesko, currently of RB Leipzig.

The Slovenian was a major target back when he was playing at sister club RB Salzburg, and the 20-year-old earned a move to the Bundesliga last summer and has carried on in the same vein.

In 21 starts across all competitions, Sesko has 17 goals and two assists and is the club’s second top-scorer this season with Leipzig currently fourth and enroute to achieve Champions League qualification for next season.

Benjamin Šeško’s agent was in attendance at Old Trafford for Manchester United-Arsenal.

Here’s Elvis Basanovic posting from the stadium ahead of summer transfer window. pic.twitter.com/q7YJt1IpIg

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 13, 2024

And the rumour mill was sent into overdrive as his agent Elvis Basanovic was spotted at Old Trafford, watching the United-Arsenal game.

This is not the first United game the agent has attended with Basanovic also spotted at The Theatre of Dreams for the clash against Liverpool back in April.

Sesko’s agent spotted at OT

He could have been there simply to watch the game or to talk with the club regarding a summer move. Both clubs have been linked with a move with INEOS keen to pair him up with Hojlund.

The young striker has a release clause of €50 million and there were reports that the Bundesliga club are open to selling him for less than that amount.

But the Slovenia international has been on fire in the second half of the campaign and is currently on a run of scoring in six straight Bundesliga games. And his release clause is said to have increased by €15 million.

It will be intriguing to see where Sesko lands up. Whether United target someone experienced alongside the Denmark international or whether they choose to go down the route of adding young talent in the summer remains to be seen.

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Their first-choice striker target, Harry Kane, was out of their reach so they invested in long-term potential instead.

Still, even with that acceptance, nobody could have foreseen the trainwreck that this United team would become.

Inevitably, in a dysfunctional team, Hojlund has looked even more undercooked than what was expected, although some purple patches of form have made his record on paper look acceptable.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, the problems with Hojlund are much more worrying and emblematic of the culture at the club.

Manchester Evening News reports that several United players are not convinced by Hojlund’s ability and thus, are “reluctant” to pass him the ball.

The Dane is going through a barren run in front of goal, with his effort against Sheffield United an oasis in a desert recently.

The report states that players are seeking “alternative solutions” in the final third because of this lean spell of their striker.

While Hojlund going through a lean spell is a fact, the response of his teammates to this run, if the report even has an iota of truth in it, speaks volumes of the culture and camaraderie at the club.

The teammates seeking “alternative solutions” haven’t been much better, with United barely looking like scoring in many games this season.

In fact, the best they looked was in the month of January, when Hojlund found his feet and started scoring with regularity.

The service, or the lack of it, to the striker has been one of the biggest gripes the fanbase has had with United players.

It would be completely acceptable if the team was firing on all cylinders but the striker wasn’t able to get involved, in which case there are question marks over his ability.

However, it seems like United are stuck in a vicious cycle where players are not passing to Hojlund because he’s going through a lean spell, but the lean spell is happening because he isn’t getting any service. Ultimately, the results are suffering.

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They rarely threatened despite enjoying 55 percent possession with the visitors happy to sit back and defend, knowing the hosts will struggled up top.

Even when the Gunners looked nervy, the Red Devils failed to take advantage with Alejandro Garnacho guilty of spurning a few decent openings while Rasmus Hojlund once again failed to influence proceedings.

The Dane looks like he has been overworked in his debut season and while ideally, the club should have given him time to adapt, they were forced to throw him straight into the deep end.

Struggling physically

He is only 21 and with one season of Serie A experience behind him, he looks like someone who is not ready to lead the line for the 20-time English league champions consistently.

His biggest struggle so far has been with physicality with the striker looking far too focussed on trying to win the physical duels rather than focussing on holding on to the ball.

And that leads to trying to back into defenders and eventually losing possession, unable to relieve some of the pressure on his backline.

Against Mikel Arteta’s side, he lost all his ground duels and won only one aerial duel. He also lost possession four times.

And the lack of service has not helped either. The former Atalanta starlet had only 17 touches in 88 minutes and managed only 10 passes (stats via sofascore).

Rasmus needs help

He had a decent chance early on in the game with Scott McTominay’s ball finding him in space but he slipped and failed to make the keeper work.

Maybe if the ball had fallen for him during his six-game scoring streak, he would have made the chance count. His confidence is also not quite high.

Increased scrutiny and criticism can affect a young player but the Dutch boss has had no choice but to keep playing the Denmark international due to the perennial absence of Anthony Martial and the poor form of Marcus Rashford, who is also out injured currently.

The club is almost bludgeoning the promising star into mediocrity and it is clear that the club should bring in help for the Denmark international.

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Rasmus Hojlund was almost a spectator with the Dane hardly getting any service nor did he win the majority of his duels, a highlight of his time in England.

Extremely talented he might be, but the 21-year-old is hardly ready to lead the line for the biggest club in the world and he needs help alongside him.

Both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have failed to back up their new No 9 and the club are desperate for attacking additions in the summer.

Elite striker needed

Ideally, the 20-time English league champions should recruit a proven player instead of another promising gem so as to not cut into Hojlund’s development while also allowing him to play more freely while he learns the trade from the experienced star.

However, FFP concerns mean the club will likely need to be creative when acquiring players so as to not fall foul of the rules and that is why they have been monitoring Real Madrid veteran Joselu.

The Spaniard is currently on loan at the Bernabeu from Espanyol and despite only 16 starts in all competitions, the 34-year-old has 14 goals and three assists, making him the fourth highest scorer this season.

Los Blancos could sign him permanently for a measly €1.5 million this summer but so far no concrete decision has been taken and this gives plenty of suitors across Europe hope, including United.

As per Relevo, the three-time European champions are considering the Real Madrid academy graduate due to his low price point, his back-to-goal play and the fact that he has knowledge of playing in England, something INEOS greatly covet.

“Manchester United are monitoring Joselu as Høljund’s reinforcement. The Galician’s strengths correspond to the profile they are tracking: veteran with good physique, back-to-goal game and a a good finisher.

“Furthermore, he knows the Premier League, where he played four seasons [Newcastle and Stoke]. There has not been any negotiations but monitoring in case the opportunity arises to snare him.”

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano added that the Red Devils did get in touch with the player’s agent but no concrete talks have taken place as the striker would like to remain with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

United monitoring Joselu

“So far I know there has only been a discussion between United and his agents. It is true that Joselu’s future is yet to be decided but I can assure you that the priority for the veteran target man is to stay at Real Madrid this summer, and he will exhaust his options to do so before considering alternatives.”

Joselu, on his part, would like to remain in Madrid as he is a huge fan of the club and United fans would be extremely disappointed if the club only bring in the Spaniard as the striker in the summer.

While the Spain international is certainly enjoying a great season in white, he cannot be the answer for United as his record in the English top-flight is abysmal while his age makes him a stop-gap option at best.

United need someone elite who can help nurture Hojlund and keep plundering goals if the club is to get back to the top. It will be interesting to see the final budget INEOS have to work with and which position they choose to spend the most for.

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After Chelsea and Newcastle United’s convincing wins, United have to turn up away at Crystal Palace to maintain their push for any European place at all.

Palace have started to rediscover their mojo under Oliver Glasner and on their day, are capable of playing some breathtaking stuff.

In their past four games, they’ve already knocked off Liverpool and Newcastle, a run which also included a 5-2 home victory over West Ham United.

This game is the definition of a banana skin for a struggling United who never look in control of any game. Here are the three tactical themes that will decide the game-

Pressing machine vs panic stations

Oliver Glasner was famed for his relentless pressing style in the Bundesliga as he is another from a factory of Bundesliga coaches branched from Ralf Rangnick’s “gegenpressing” philosophy.

Unfortunately for United, a pressing team is the worst matchup for this jittery buildup. Even Burnley’s comparatively relaxed press got an error out of United last weekend as Onana gifted them a goal. If it’s not the keeper, it’s a midfielder or a defender panicking under the press.

This game will be the fight of a pressing machine in Palace vs United’s perpetual panic stations, especially with Harry Maguire leaving United with zero completely fit centre-backs as Jonny Evans might have to be rushed back.

Michael Olise vs Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Could this be Michael Olise’s big audition for a Manchester United move in the summer? First off, it is not yet certain if Ten Hag will play Wan-Bissaka on the left or Diogo Dalot.

Last year, Wan-Bissaka would have been the easy answer because of his shutdown defensive qualities but that version of the player is missing now. In his place is an underconfident fullback who struggles as much in defence as he does in attack.

Olise is not the kind of player he would want to face. The Frenchman has truly announced himself to elite clubs with his silky play this season. He finds pockets of space and pops up with the occasional golazo. Wan-Bissaka defending on his wrong side (he’s right-footed) might make it even more difficult for him when Olise’s fullback overlaps and makes a two-on-one situation on the wings.

Garnacho will have to run his socks off to protect whoever United’s left-back is because Olise is a handful.

Rasmus Hojlund vs Dean Henderson

It’s a part of the script, isn’t it? United’s academy kid gets sold to Premier League rivals and has a worldie against his old club when he has a point to prove.

Henderson has long put behind his jittery start at Selhurst Park and is now showing the qualities that once had people marking him as a future England No 1.

He will be extremely motivated to show United what they missed out on by outperforming Andre Onana on the day. A victory will be even sweeter.

Rasmus Hojlund needs to step up and spoil his day. The Dane looked like he was back in scoring touch after his effort against Sheffield United but Burnley was another step back.

He struggles to get involved in games and has a pure poacher-like game sometimes where he isn’t doing anything if he isn’t scoring. He needs to do just that if United are to avoid the double ignominy of not just losing to Palace, but giving Henderson something to celebrate about.

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Erik ten Hag has claimed that it is impossible for Manchester United to compete for titles while they continue to miss out on top players.

United have struggled this season as they lie sixth in the Premier League but have both Newcastle United and Chelsea breathing down their neck with four tough-looking fixtures remaining in the league season.

Ten Hag’s men have successfully booked their place in the FA Cup final later this month against Manchester City, but even winning the famous old trophy won’t mask what has been a disappointing season.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Dutch manager was asked on why he felt that his team had missed out on many transfer targets, including Frenkie de Jong.

While not addressing the name of De Jong directly he did claim, “it is always difficult to say about ten years, it would be good to do research. I think this club can only have outstanding players. That’s the truth because expectations are so high. United is the biggest or maybe second or third biggest club in the world. Everybody has an opinion about Manchester United.”

The Dutchman went on to claim that any player who comes to the club needs to have outstanding physical and mental attributes to be a success and if these types of players do not arrive, the club will always fail to meet expectations.

“Obviously the last decade, we have not always got the players we have wanted. Then you have to build and you have to accept that you get talents instead of the players who have already proven it.”

The former Ajax manager then suggested that while the club is very happy with Rasmus Hojlund’s efforts this season, he is an example of such settling.

“I can see a striker, who has already proven it, who we wanted to sign but we couldn’t get him. So went for Rasmus.”

Neville then asked if he meant Harry Kane and he retorted, “Harry Kane you know you get 30 goals. Rasmus will get there but he needs time. It’s not fair to assess him the same as Kane.”

Somewhat frankly, the under-fire coach claimed that while the club cannot bring in talents like Kane, they will never achieve what the world expects of them.

On settling for talents over ready-made players he claimed, “it has a negative impact on the team and that’s what we have to accept. Fans and opinion makers don’t want to understand, they only see the results but we need time.”

Ten Hag has already claimed that fans do not entirely understand as he recently criticised Old Trafford fans for booing his decision to remove Kobbie Mainoo from the field of play against Burnley last Saturday.

He went on to say “you have to accept that the process is going slower and you cannot expect that you straightaway will compete for titles like the Premier League and Champions League.”

Whilst there is certainly logic to the Dutchman’s argument, it seems strange that he would criticise the policy of signing talents over ready-made stars when Sir Jim Ratcliffe, his new boss, has already stated that the new regime will look to sign up and coming talents rather than finished products like Kylian Mbappe.

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