[AnotherLondonManc]

Welcome to the confirmation bias thread, where you will see one of 2 sets of posters depending on how well Hojland played in our last match.

Want to compare him to another footballer? Well, if your pro Hojland, look at Drogba. He struggled for ages before becoming a top striker. If your anti Hojland, simply comment that he doesn't have the qualities of a Berbatov, Chicharito, or fecking R9.

It's 90% nonsense.

I find those writing him off to come across a little ridiculous. There's a lot of potential there, and he's shown that multiple times already. He has a lot of technical and physical ability. Nobody can honestly disagree with that.

Is he consistent? No.
Does he still have a lot to work on? Yes.
Did we overpay? Absolutely!

Will he eventually be worth it? Could be. Why not? I like him, and I hope he makes it. And while he has to do better, the same can be said about literally every one of our attackers right now

 

[Andycoleno9]

Welcome to the confirmation bias thread, where you will see one of 2 sets of posters depending on how well Hojland played in our last match.

Want to compare him to another footballer? Well, if your pro Hojland, look at Drogba. He struggled for ages before becoming a top striker. If your anti Hojland, simply comment that he doesn't have the qualities of a Berbatov, Chicharito, or fecking R9.

It's 90% nonsense.

I find those writing him off to come across a little ridiculous. There's a lot of potential there, and he's shown that multiple times already. He has a lot of technical and physical ability. Nobody can honestly disagree with that.

Is he consistent? No.
Does he still have a lot to work on? Yes.
Did we overpay? Absolutely!

Will he eventually be worth it? Could be. Why not? I like him, and I hope he makes it. And while he has to do better, the same can be said about literally every one of our attackers right now

Everybody who watch him regulary can. His technique is poor and his strength (and height) is hugely overrated because he doesn't know how to use it during the games. Every game he is bullied by defenders and i literally can't remember when he won a header.

Next summer (or even this january if possible) our absolute transfer priority should be first choice striker. If that means selling Hojlund and Rashford (Zirkzee at least can be used in different roles) then we should do that.
With current group of strikers in this system where striker is focal point of attacks, we can't challenge for PL title. Next year or any year.

 

[afrocentricity]

Expectation is too much on this guy. Shouldn't be the case but redcafe has lost all common sense a long time ago...

 

[Schmeichels pinky]

Instead of writing a fanboy rant, how about you argue your case for what Hojlund is actually good at, and what makes him good enough to be Uniteds first choice striker. And regurgitating "he gets no service" doesn't cut it. We're not a Sam Allerdyce team that plays with a target man stood in the box all game

Instead of spouting ignorance how about you read my posts? I’ve done that so many times and others have done the same so start reading!
It’s the ones claiming he’ll never be good enough or that he’s to blame every game we don’t win who need to start making a case. Fanboy post? No, I’m just fed up with uninformed, negative nonsense about our players - not only Hojlund.

 

[Cassidy]

He loses a lot of aerial duels. He is actually in his prime, while Højlund is very young still and learning.
Højlund had a bad game which most people could have predicted given the opposition. He just isnt a player that is clever enough yet to wrestle defenders. Kane would have bagged several free kicks and would have been throwing himself to the ground the second Timber touched him. Rasmus needs to learn that.

He doesnt lose as many as Hojlund come on mate

 

[Grand Vizier]

Expectation is too much on this guy. Shouldn't be the case but redcafe has lost all common sense a long time ago...

There are reasonable posters who acknowledge that he should never have been the first team striker in the first place, and then there are the posters who think they are scouts and oracles as they claim he will never have what it takes to be a good striker. The same posters that also admit they are not fans of strikers like Højlund, but have a soft spot for players like Zirkzee because of "the way he plays".

 

[Solius]

21 year old in inconsistency shocker.

 

[Schmeichels pinky]

Every game he is bullied by defenders and i literally can't remember when he won a header.

Next summer (or even this january if possible) our absolute transfer priority should be first choice striker. If that means selling Hojlund and Rashford (Zirkzee at least can be used in different roles) then we should do that.

You’re back at square one I see - thought there might’ve been a light at the end of your tunnel, but no.
His technique isn’t “poor”, but he’s inconsistent. He won 3/5 aerial duels last night. He held the ball and passed it to a teammate several times. So you’re either lying or suffering from severe confirmation bias.
It wasn’t a stand out performance, but he worked for the team and was part of the reason we managed to close Arsenal down in the first half. Clearly that was Amorims goal first and foremost.

 

[Schmeichels pinky]

There are reasonable posters who acknowledge that he should never have been the first team striker in the first place, and then there are the posters who think they are scouts and oracles as they claim he will never have what it takes to be a good striker. The same posters that also admit they are not fans of strikers like Højlund, but have a soft spot for players like Zirkzee because of "the way he plays".

*cough* @Andycoleno9 *cough*

 

[Andycoleno9]

There are reasonable posters who acknowledge that he should never have been the first team striker in the first place, and then there are the posters who think they are scouts and oracles as they claim he will never have what it takes to be a good striker. The same posters that also admit they are not fans of strikers like Højlund, but have a soft spot for players like Zirkzee because of "the way he plays".

If that is a dig at me then you could also see that, despite liking him, i don't;
A) make excuses for his bad games
B) think that he is good enough (or will be) to be a starting striker.
Between Hojlund and Zirkzee, i would keep Zirkzee as backup. Also because Zirkzee can be used in different position and roles.

Being blind fanboy or just having a soft spot for player (because of any reason) are two different things.

 

[Andycoleno9]

You’re back at square one I see - thought there might’ve been a light at the end of your tunnel, but no.
His technique isn’t “poor”, but he’s inconsistent. He won 3/5 aerial duels last night. He held the ball and passed it to a teammate several times. So you’re either lying or suffering from severe confirmation bias.
It wasn’t a stand out performance, but he worked for the team and was part of the reason we managed to close Arsenal down in the first half. Clearly that was Amorims goal first and foremost.

He won 3 headers last night? Ok, my bad. I missed that.

 

[Lennon7]

People can use his age all you want but do any of you seriously see a top striker in there?

 

[Schmeichels pinky]

People can use his age all you want but do any of you seriously see a top striker in there?

Yes. The only question is how “top” he’ll become. There are very few players as clinical as him so if we manage to set him up he’ll score a shitload of goals.

If you want elaboration you can read through this thread and watch his games back

 

[Devil81]

Not his biggest fan as people may have noticed on here. I don't think he's anywhere near the level needed to be above anything other than midtable in the Premier league.

I also think he's absolutely dreadful in the air for a big lad, I know he isn't a defender but he should have got his head on the first goal yesterday and cleared the danger. On Sunday I watched Darwin Nunez throw his whole body to block a ball in the last minute against City, Hojlund just made an half arsed attempt at heading the ball, just like he does when the ball is played up to him. I'd love Amorim to spend the time to develop that side of the game because without it he's a complete waste of time.

 

[Betson]

If he were playing with another club in the league and putting in the same type of performances would we be interested in seeing him come to United?

I suspect very few would say he is anyway near ready for a club like United. Only for he is at such a high profile club there would be very little spoken about him.

He is young and has time on his side , but pointless pretending he is better than he is right now.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Not his biggest fan as people may have noticed on here. I don't think he's anywhere near the level needed to be above anything other than midtable in the Premier league.

I also think he's absolutely dreadful in the air for a big lad, I know he isn't a defender but he should have got his head on the first goal yesterday and cleared the danger. On Sunday I watched Darwin Nunez throw his whole body to block a ball in the last minute against City, Hojlund just made an half arsed attempt at heading the ball, just like he does when the ball is played up to him. I'd love Amorim to spend the time to develop that side of the game because without it he's a complete waste of time.

"I am not his biggest fan, far from it, but i do think he is shit".

 

[Solius]

People can use his age all you want but do any of you seriously see a top striker in there?

Yes. He's literally shown he can press well, score tap-ins, score when he has space, score technically difficult goals, right foot, left foot, has held up the ball extremely well at times.

If he hadn't shown any of that there'd be more questions but we've seen him do all of this well. He's just struggling to string that all together in one game which is typical for a younger player. The only weakness of concern for me is his lack of aerial presence.

 

[Von Mistelroum]

I can't understand why anyone would judge a striker who plays a match where the players around him are completely unable to provide chances for him. No out and out striker is going to be scoring goals when the people around them are unable to pass to them.

Mount might as well not be on the pitch, Garnacho put in one cross in the entire game that Hojlund didn't anticipate. Why? Because he doesn't cross normally so why would he have expected this to happen for the very first time?

We need to get some players in who are able to make simple passes to the striker, otherwise there's no point in buying someone like Gyokeres because he'll be exactly as ineffective as Hojlund.

 

[Smores]

Not sure I'd quite say he got bullied but without a doubt he needs to work on his physical presence. I don't even think it's a physical attribute thing he simply needs to adjust his mindset to be more aggressive.

 

[Cassidy]

Yes. He's literally shown he can press well, score tap-ins, score when he has space, score technically difficult goals, right foot, left foot, has held up the ball extremely well at times.

If he hadn't shown any of that there'd be more questions but we've seen him do all of this well. He's just struggling to string that all together in one game which is typical for a younger player. The only weakness of concern for me is his lack of aerial presence.

Who would you say has shown more out of him and Evan Ferguson?
Would you say the later is destined to be a top striker?

He hasn't really improved much on the things he lacks, e.g his movement in the box and his hold up play, hopefully the new coaching staff can work on it

He obviously has some talent, but that doesn't mean he has what it takes to make it at the level we need.

 

[Solius]

Who would you say has shown more out of him and Evan Ferguson?
Would you say the later is destined to be a top striker?

He hasn't really improved much on the things he lacks, e.g his movement in the box and his hold up play, hopefully the new coaching staff can work on it

He obviously has some talent, but that doesn't mean he has what it takes to make it at the level we need.

I'd say they've both shown quite similar levels. I still rate Ferguson and think people are way too quick to write off young players just because they have dips.

There's no way to tell whether Hojlund will manage to string it all together but I think he has a lot to offer if he does. He's in no way as sure a thing as some other young talents but there's only one way to find out.

 

[Neilwij]

We paid too much for him and it's too much to expect him to be a guy who's going to carry our attack at the minute.

However I do think he will be a good player in time, he needs to develop more. Plus we need to start getting the ball to him a bit more in the box.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Not sure I'd quite say he got bullied but without a doubt he needs to work on his physical presence. I don't even think it's a physical attribute thing he simply needs to adjust his mindset to be more aggressive.

Yesterday would be a weird game to use as evidence of him being bullied. He's definitely struggled with his back to goal before now but last night -especially in the first half - he was actually winning a good amount of those duels.

 

[Craig Ward]

Hojlund works his socks off. He's a willing runner, trying to hold the ball up, trying to play with his back to goal and trying to be the poacher in the box also.

You cant question that this guy is the real deal - he's got bucket loads of goals in him.

Our biggest issue with him at the moment is isolation. He's got the hardest job in the team holding the ball up when the supporting attackers are nowhere near him.

He's still in the potential stage but everything about him ticks the boxes.

A few iffy touches and lack of control against Arsenal doesn't help the visuals for the fans who don't rate him. Wasn't his best performance, but he still chucked a good shift in

 

[Red Star One]

Hojlund works his socks off. He's a willing runner, trying to hold the ball up, trying to play with his back to goal and trying to be the poacher in the box also.

You cant question that this guy is the real deal - he's got bucket loads of goals in him.

I think you can definitely question that the guy is the real deal, but I guess that depends on your definition of a real deal.

 

[Craig Ward]

I think you can definitely question that the guy is the real deal, but I guess that depends on your definition of a real deal.

Hojlund has the potential to be a 20goal a season striker. Simple as that

 

[Cassidy]

I'd say they've both shown quite similar levels. I still rate Ferguson and think people are way too quick to write off young players just because they have dips.

There's no way to tell whether Hojlund will manage to string it all together but I think he has a lot to offer if he does. He's in no way as sure a thing as some other young talents but there's only one way to find out.

How long do you wait to find out is the question, I think he has potential, but I also think we need a number 1 striker who is ready. For me he has till summer or he will lose the no 1 spot to a new striker and will become the backup (which he should have been in the first place)

 

[Solius]

How long do you wait is the question

We'll probably know by the time he hits 23/24. But you see with people like Gyokeres that sometimes it takes a while.

If he was back-up to a more established striker this would be less of an issue.

 

[Cassidy]

We'll probably know by the time he hits 23/24. But you see with people like Gyokeres that sometimes it takes a while.

If he was back-up to a more established striker this would be less of an issue.

Indeed and of course we paid the fee for him as a starter and not a backup

 

[RedIan]

His first touch is poor, his attempts to control a long ball with his back to goal to hold up play more times than not lead to him loosing possession. The ball bounces off his first touch rather than sticking to him.
Hes a raw fast centre forward who can finish but he is clearly lacking in other areas.

 

[Shinjch]

Even though he looks like a competition winner at times, I think we would create more chances and score more goals with Zirkzee as the centre forward.

 

[Mike Smalling]

Same old story. What little he does get to work with, he messes up a bit too much. Yesterday there was also no crosses and through ball to work with.

But I think we generally have the picture of what player Højlund is now. He can be effective when the team plays well, which is most often against lesser opposition. Against stronger teams he will be isolated and feed off scraps, and he does not excel in that. The question is how much he will develop, particularly in his hold-up play.

 

[fergiewherearethou]

Very hard for him to do anything last night, we barely entered their box, there was no service for him.
He is young and showed qualities, he will get better but at this point he can't perform against top teams.

 

[UnitedRepublic]

Expectation is too much on this guy. Shouldn't be the case but redcafe has lost all common sense a long time ago...

Expectations is too much for our starting striker ? We’re not Ipswich you know.

 

[Martial'sEmergingSmile]

Actually thought he was pretty good last night in tough circumstances.

His hold up play was better than usual (it's been good for a few games now) and he was a lot more competitve in the air, which has been a big issue.

Wasn't all good. There was a point where somebody played him in - Dalot from memory - and he had either a tough first time shot from an angle or a chance to commit Saliba 1v1 in the box. He chose neither. Took it away from goal and recirculated the ball harmlessly. In games like that, where very few chances come along, you gotta do something.

 

[Fortitude]

Expectation is too much on this guy. Shouldn't be the case but redcafe has lost all common sense a long time ago...

That's a half truth, I'd say. The problem here is that the club thrust him into the lead #9 role by not having him support an actual one, and he's being treated accordingly by some in line with that.

It's not only ability that gets pecked to death as a lead the line striker at a club of this size, it's also the scrutinising of every little misstep and performance. If he was an understudy, he'd be treated differently and the time he needs would be more readily available and accepted than it currently is.

Højlund is getting it in the neck because the club put him there to be shot at and bear the brunt of the criticism.

 

[JBG]

He should've been our backup CF who's learning from an experienced CF in his prime, not our first choice. But I do think he has a future here still.

 

[Rajma]

Management should be thinking ahead of the curve and cutting our loses with him and Zirkzee in the summer.

 

[TrivelaDeBruno]

Instead of writing a fanboy rant, how about you argue your case for what Hojlund is actually good at, and what makes him good enough to be Uniteds first choice striker. And regurgitating "he gets no service" doesn't cut it. We're not a Sam Allerdyce team that plays with a target man stood in the box all game

That's the only way a striker can get service?

 

[sugar_kane]

His first touch is poor, his attempts to control a long ball with his back to goal to hold up play more times than not lead to him loosing possession. The ball bounces off his first touch rather than sticking to him.
Hes a raw fast centre forward who can finish but he is clearly lacking in other areas.

and when he does control it he holds onto it for way too long and ends up losing possession... he just doesn't seem to think fast enough when on the ball, which is mad considering how clinical he is in front of goal.