[Sara125]

Mentioned in the match day thread that I enjoyed what I saw of him so far and his footballing brain is a breath of fresh air in this team. Unfortunately, like others have said, it’s a shame the calibre of players we have on offer for link up play with him.

 

[thegregster]

He was quite good. Not much service, but this is how it is around here.

The boos when he was subbed really caught me off guard, though. I guess the crowd also liked what they saw.

They were booing him being subbed. Not his performance.

 

[Someone]

He did well but I'm worried about the weight of expectation on him. We need another experienced striker. I really hope he as a good head on his shoulders.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

He did well but I'm worried about the weight of expectation on him. We need another experienced striker. I really hope he as a good head on his shoulders.

I don’t think anyone here expects him to bag a ton of goals immediately. In fact many have said the opposite

 

[Telsim]

They were booing him being subbed. Not his performance.

Yes, that's what I meant. I just don't remember the last time I heard such loud boos at Old Trafford.

 

[NinjaZombie]

The plan was probably always to give him 60 - 70 mins

Plans can be changed depending on the situation.

The proper way to bring in Anthony Martial is to play him on the left and sub Marcus Rashford out. Martial is totally useless as a 9, Hojlund is a much better player there and Rashford was stinking the place up. The state of that sub. No wonder the crowd were booing. Those crosses Reguilon was putting in, Martial had no hope of getting there but at least with Hojlund, we'd stand a chance.

 

[Abraxas]

On another day where Rashford keeps that in it goes down as a top full debut where he scores a well taken goal and some promising hold up play. As it is he doesn't come away with that finish which is unfortunate as he did everything right there.

Some loose touches here and there as expected. Needs a bit more refinement but that's what training is for at this age.

 

[Someone]

I don’t think anyone here expects him to bag a ton of goals immediately. In fact many have said the opposite

Yeah but we need goals. It was our biggest issue last season, and the fact that we only bought him to solve this issue puts a lot of pressure on him to deliver.

 

[Glorio]

Plans can be changed depending on the situation.

The proper way to bring in Anthony Martial is to play him on the left and sub Marcus Rashford out. Martial is totally useless as a 9, Hojlund is a much better player there and Rashford was stinking the place up. The state of that sub. No wonder the crowd were booing. Those crosses Reguilon was putting in, Martial had no hope of getting there but at least with Hojlund, we'd stand a chance.

And risk him picking up another injury? No one is arguing about Højlund being the better choice. The man has just come back from a back injury that has kept him out for a while. If the plan was to give him 60-70 mins and we change that because of one game, that would have been irresponsible

 

[Lyng]

Yeah but we need goals. It was our biggest issue last season, and the fact that we only bought him to solve this issue puts a lot of pressure on him to deliver.

To be fair, the one time Rashford decided to actually pass, Højlund scored.

 

[L1nk]

Boo's were because the crowd recognised he was actually trying to play, all Rashford did was his usual headless chicken stuff instead of crossing. That one chance where Hojlund sprinted into the box after passing to Rashford and he didn't pass it back across was atrocious.

 

[Giggsy13]

Shame that his goal was disallowed, it was a perfect poacher’s goal. A bright spot on a very dark day.

 

[Pronewbie]

Rashford could have given him 2 assists for 2 easy tap ins.

His runs are great, but our players are too selfish or dont go for the killer ball when they need to. Infuriating.

Yup. Rashford needs to be dropped sooner rather than later. He's been woeful.

 

[UpWithRivers]

Just goes to show how far we've fallen when we are salivating about Hojlund. Yeah he looks ok. Did some nice things. But he looks like a decent 20 year old nothing more. We are fkn Man Utd. The level is Kane, Mpappe, Haaland. Hojlund should be our back up not our savior, Is he better than even the back up strikers like Nketiah? Is he better than Furguson. I guess time will tell. Im not bashing him though. Im bashing the fact he's our main striker. Its ridiculous.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Looks alright to me compared to certain others.

Not high praise, but that's where we are at the moment.

 

[fergiewherearethou]

Just goes to show how far we've fallen when we are salivating about Hojlund. Yeah he looks ok. Did some nice things. But he looks like a decent 20 year old nothing more. We are fkn Man Utd. The level is Kane, Mpappe, Haaland. Hojlund should be our back up not our savior, Is he better than even the back up strikers like Nketiah? Is he better than Furguson. I guess time will tell. Im not bashing him though. Im bashing the fact he's our main striker. Its ridiculous.

Agreed 100%.
Can't believe what we believe to achieve by relying on him as our only ST.

 

[The Hilton]

Looked excellent, his enthusiasm off the ball is infectious (except with Rashford), and he gave us an important out ball for when we were pressed high up.

 

[Isotope]

Still young, but I don't see it.

 

[bosnian_red]

I like him. First half was quiet but was good before the sub in the 2nd.

 

[Rozay]

Needs a lot of work. Can see him being a threat with open spaces or one/two touch finishes - but if he has to take more than three touches on the ball I think he’ll be exposed a bit.

 

[Frank Grimes]

Looks very clumsy. Was expecting him to be a lot better technically.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Yeah but we need goals. It was our biggest issue last season, and the fact that we only bought him to solve this issue puts a lot of pressure on him to deliver.

Sure but even if he’s finishing well that won’t solve our issues. The team doesn’t function properly as a whole currently. It’s a far cry from last season where you could confidently say we just needed a goalscorer in the middle.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

Just goes to show how far we've fallen when we are salivating about Hojlund. Yeah he looks ok. Did some nice things. But he looks like a decent 20 year old nothing more. We are fkn Man Utd. The level is Kane, Mpappe, Haaland. Hojlund should be our back up not our savior, Is he better than even the back up strikers like Nketiah? Is he better than Furguson. I guess time will tell. Im not bashing him though. Im bashing the fact he's our main striker. Its ridiculous.

True.

 

[Irwin99]

Just goes to show how far we've fallen when we are salivating about Hojlund. Yeah he looks ok. Did some nice things. But he looks like a decent 20 year old nothing more. We are fkn Man Utd. The level is Kane, Mpappe, Haaland. Hojlund should be our back up not our savior, Is he better than even the back up strikers like Nketiah? Is he better than Furguson. I guess time will tell. Im not bashing him though. Im bashing the fact he's our main striker. Its ridiculous.

Fair points. The attack was basically held together by Rashford last season with disappointing goal contributions from almost everyone else and a pretty dismal goals scored record in total (for the second season running) and we're expecting a young kid to solve this and take us to another level. It's....a big ask!

 

[Em765]

The only bright spot today.
Hojlund is legit. Great runs, hold up play, will be a great signing. What a player.

Ridiculous to take him off and for Martial of all people, Eth rightfully booed.
Rashford doesnt know how to pay with a striker of his quality, hope they develop more chemistry with time.

 

[DarkXaero]

Just goes to show how far we've fallen when we are salivating about Hojlund. Yeah he looks ok. Did some nice things. But he looks like a decent 20 year old nothing more. We are fkn Man Utd. The level is Kane, Mpappe, Haaland. Hojlund should be our back up not our savior, Is he better than even the back up strikers like Nketiah? Is he better than Furguson. I guess time will tell. Im not bashing him though. Im bashing the fact he's our main striker. Its ridiculous.

Over time, the fanbase will start criticizing him more for his bad touches or his clumsiness, as both are obviously part of his game. Still though, there's a lot to like from a potential perspective; he has strength, pace, and a footballing brain. However, I agree, he should be the backup striker, not our savior and it is also ridiculous to me (and unfair to Hojlund) that he has been put in this position.

 

[Slevs]

Still young, but I don't see it.

I do. Makes all the correct runs and presses. Give him time, he will work out.

 

[mu4c_20le]

The new Alan Smith. He'll always fight for the shirt.

One of his former coaches mentioned that he isn't as naturally talented as Bendtner, but more than makes up for it in heart and professionalism.

 

[Isotope]

I do. Makes all the correct runs and presses. Give him time, he will work out.

Hopefully it happens quick. He's our main striker.

 

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

Yes, that's what I meant. I just don't remember the last time I heard such loud boos at Old Trafford.

Hojlund has looked more threatening in his two appearances for United than Martial has looked in years. The boos were a release of frustration, knowing that the Brighton defenders would've been breathing a huge sigh of relief to see Martial replacing Hojlund.

Just before the sub was made, a fan sat behind me was saying "he'll take Mctominay off and play Martial up front with Hojlund". Had he made a more attacking sub like that then there wouldn't have been any boos. Considering we were chasing 2 goals and Hojlund was such a handful, I still can't understand what Ten Hag was thinking by subbing him off for someone as anonymous as Martial.

 

[Roboc7]

I think he has lots of potential but how much chance there is of that being fulfilled with so much emphasis being placed on him and the team and club being so dysfunctional I’m not sure.

 

[Amarsdd]

He was decent. Made holding up the ball against Dunk look easy most of the time, linked up play well and made the correct passes when he had the chance, some good near post runs that created threats which we haven't seen from a United striker in ages, scored a good goal etc. But obviously wasn't in the game much, showed a lot of energy in pressing but unfortunately no support from the midfield basically made it look useless and a couple of clumsy touches.

 

[Dec9003]

One of a small number of exciting signings we’ve made. You can see the potential is there with him, needs a good coach to unlock it.

 

[L1nk]

One of a small number of exciting signings we’ve made. You can see the potential is there with him, needs a good coach to unlock it.

Needs his team mates to actually pass more like

 

[WeePat]

Starved of service. He looked good again with the limited action he saw. I don’t know if the stats back it up but I watched United’s last two games and you don’t seem to be a team that crosses the ball often. Even in dangerous wing positions, you seem to prefer to stop and roll it backwards or cut inside. Højlund would thrive off a couple of wingers who could whip the ball in.

 

[NotChatGPT]

Hojlund has looked more threatening in his two appearances for United than Martial has looked in years. The boos were a release of frustration, knowing that the Brighton defenders would've been breathing a huge sigh of relief to see Martial replacing Hojlund.

Just before the sub was made, a fan sat behind me was saying "he'll take Mctominay off and play Martial up front with Hojlund". Had he made a more attacking sub like that then there wouldn't have been any boos. Considering we were chasing 2 goals and Hojlund was such a handful, I still can't understand what Ten Hag was thinking by subbing him off for someone as anonymous as Martial.

Højlund hasn’t taken part in pre-season due to injury, hasn’t played a full club match for months. It’s a long season. There’s no point in risking him picking up more injuries

 

[Pogue Mahone]

The new Alan Smith. He'll always fight for the shirt.

One of his former coaches mentioned that he isn't as naturally talented as Bendtner, but more than makes up for it in heart and professionalism.

Jesus. After a defeat the caf is always full of astonishingly bad hot takes. Didn’t expect to stumble across the worst of the lot so early.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Højlund hasn’t taken part in pre-season due to injury, hasn’t played a full club match for months. It’s a long season. There’s no point in risking him picking up more injuries

Yeah it was definitely pre-planned. They even mentioned about having to manage his minutes carefully with this back injury.

The problem, though, is the player we replace him with. No serious club should have the 2023 version of Martial as their first attacking substitute.

 

[Andycoleno9]

The new Alan Smith. He'll always fight for the shirt.

One of his former coaches mentioned that he isn't as naturally talented as Bendtner, but more than makes up for it in heart and professionalism.

I am sorry but feck that shit about fighting for the shirt and doing his best. That shows how low our standards dropped.
We are Man Utd. We need and must have striker who will score 30 goals per season and literally be a game changer.

Nothing against Hojlund and his performance today. Maybe he is that striker. He looked ok and i like him. But he must settle down quick and produce. If contribution from our main striker will be "fighting for the shirt" then we are truly fecked this year.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I am sorry but feck that shit about fighting for the shirt and doing his best. That shows how low our standards dropped.
We are Man Utd. We need and must have striker who will score 30 goals per season and literally be a game changer.

Nothing against Hojlund and his performance today. Maybe he is that striker. He looked ok and i like him. But he must settle down quick and produce. If contribution from our main striker will be "fighting for the shirt" then we are truly fecked this year.

You’re arguing with someone who is saying he is shit by saying you expect better.