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Rasmus Hojlund Denmark flag

2024-25 Performances


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4.7 Season Average Rating
Appearances
37
Goals
7
Assists
1
Yellow cards
2
That’s your interpretation and it’s definitely not correct with regards to me. High level analysis doesn’t brush over anything as it is thorough and assesses the whole over what would essentially be cherry picking.
So you ignore all analysis then? Because no analysis ever on bbc, sky etc. will go into a players every involvement in a game? They will pick key moments to analyse.
 
Yeah I wanted to say euros not pounds in my first post you quoted to be honest, my bad. But €40m to €50m (closer to 40 I reckon) for a striker is nothing in PL, he is a starter for his national side and club. Again has shown some form last year in PL and CL so not a unknown young striker with zero accomplishment.

Of course I’m not counting on Italian or Spanish sides but more on desperate PL sides like West Ham or even Chelsea because he fits their criteria of squad filled with young talents. But this is just an ideal outcome for me a loan is more on the cards I suppose.
You’re saying a PL club would spend €50m on a player who doesn’t look like a PL player? Why would they even look in his direction? It’s just not realistic, is it?

He won’t have suitors in this league unless we’re offering bargain basement punt prices.
 
If you create no chances as a team, why is your striker magically going to have had hundreds of shots? Bizarre
Hundreds? He's had 17. And re chance creation, Delap playing for Ipswich, who have about a third less xG than us this season has had over 3 times that many shots. End of the day if you rank 148th in the league for shots taken as the starting striker for a non-relegation team then you're probably the main problem.
 
So you ignore all analysis then? Because no analysis ever on bbc, sky etc. will go into a players every involvement in a game? They will pick key moments to analyse.
I take it for what it is. You rarely get high level analysis on generic TV, outside of Onuhua, Carragher and sometimes Rio when they choose to break things down.
 
I take it for what it is. You rarely get high level analysis on generic TV, outside of Onuhua, Carragher and sometimes Rio when they choose to break things down.
But none of them break it down to the level you are suggesting. Point me to a single article from them where it’s not analysing specific moments?
 
Hundreds? He's had 17. And re chance creation, Delap playing for Ipswich, who have about a third less xG than us this season has had over 3 times that many shots. End of the day if you rank 148th in the league for shots taken as the starting striker for a non-relegation team then you're probably the main problem.

How did you read it like that? we've created 17 shots for our number one striker in 28 games!? XG is a sign of the quality of chances created, he’s got two goals from a 2.3/2.7 XG rating. Shots taken is a completely different metric. He's not going to score from shots that dont exist. He can try and shoot from ridiculous places like Garnacho or Antony which will boost his shots taken. It wouldn't mean anything. A central midfielder can shoot from 45 yards 12 times a game and have an excellent shots taken metric, bet he has 0 goals from them.

Our team creating next to nothing in attack is the main problem. Period.
 
But none of them break it down to the level you are suggesting. Point me to a single article from them where it’s not analysing specific moments?
Rio has broken defenders down to the minutiae on both the positive and negative. He doesn’t do it often and I don’t think it’s well received in the game because, as I say, it’s not very nice to point out the whole and break it down to fine points, especially when you’re a big name, which is why we are tuned to get positive tidbits and not much else.

Carragher tends to break teams down or aspects of what they do, to the positive and negative and has constructive criticism within that framing, which works better and doesn’t isolate any one player for brutal criticism. His breakdowns are well received. Onuhua is just plain good at what he does and is more inclusive of all aspects from the outset. His voice is not often heard and I doubt mainstream is ready for someone like him.

High level analysis were your words, not mine. There’s not much of such a thing in generic football broadcasts and its definitely not PC anymore to dig players out, or give a framing of the whole. As I said before, also, Rooney is not the kind of person who would ever do that, and it’s a good thing - someone like Højlund needs a full deconstruction of his game from someone like Rooney like a hole in the head. It would be the end of him for many fans who follow media led narratives.
 
Rio has broken defenders down to the minutiae on both the positive and negative. He doesn’t do it often and I don’t think it’s well received in the game because, as I say, it’s not very nice to point out the whole and break it down to fine points, especially when you’re a big name, which is why we are tuned to get positive tidbits and not much else.

Carragher tends to break teams down or aspects of what they do, to the positive and negative and has constructive criticism within that framing, which works better and doesn’t isolate any one player for brutal criticism. His breakdowns are well received. Onuhua is just plain good at what he does and is more inclusive of all aspects from the outset. His voice is not often heard and I doubt mainstream is ready for someone like him.

High level analysis were your words, not mine. There’s not much of such a thing in generic football broadcasts and its definitely not PC anymore to dig players out, or give a framing of the whole. As I said before, also, Rooney is not the kind of person who would ever do that, and it’s a good thing - someone like Højlund needs a full deconstruction of his game from someone like Rooney like a hole in the head. It would be the end of him for many fans who follow media led narratives.
Can you give me examples, as asked in the previous post?
 
How did you read it like that? we've created 17 shots for our number one striker in 28 games!? XG is a sign of the quality of chances created, he’s got two goals from a 2.3/2.7 XG rating. Shots taken is a completely different metric. He's not going to score from shots that dont exist. He can try and shoot from ridiculous places like Garnacho or Antony which will boost his shots taken. It wouldn't mean anything. A central midfielder can shoot from 45 yards 12 times a game and have an excellent shots taken metric, bet he has 0 goals from them.

Our team creating next to nothing in attack is the main problem. Period.

Good post
 
Just isn’t enough to his game, and a poor first touch can’t really be fixed. I like him but he needs replacing
 
This is like a vicious circle with the same concepts being thrown time and again, yet rarely all of them together.

He is young, yet at his age many greats/elite forwards were already in a better place and others not.
He has done some stuff in EPL, so he can do it, even if it was a short period, he DID IT.
He ain't a dribbler.
He is big, he should play better his pivot role (this includes his heading ability regarding such role, many big fellas in the history of the game had used their head ina fantastic way to give air, to pivot when his teams launch long balls after being pressured), his current lack of confidence affects this aspect quite a lot since it's a function were anxiety doesn't have a place and composure it's almost everything.
He is big part 2, I can't recall him as a player that likes to thrive in his physicallity smashing people, won't be the first big guy with such tendency.

The main issue now, it's not the silly "if he is cut for the EPL", more if he can handle the level of pression of being at United and its demands in this current bad period. This with his price tag over his head, the system by the new coach (if he can adapt to it) and the lack of someone senior to take some burden and responsabilities during his first seasons.
Yet the main PROBLEM with him right now as a player it's that he has to try more, he has to husttle a lot more, he has to run more even if the ball doesn't arrive more, he has to try shooting even if sometimes it's not the easiest option, he must try harder to win one on one situations. I think that he has become in a way to tidy for a player going throught this rough patch. Many times the only way it's to try and fail till sthg. at some point works, a steal that creates a goal, a tackle that avoids a counter, a wild shot that goes in, yet like the vicious circle this thread is, when confidence lacks, it's harder to committ to even be more expose.
 
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I don’t know why people act like it’s a surprise he’s turned out to be poor for us.

At the time of his signing everyone was aware we were taking a big risk signing such an inexperienced player. It was a deliberate attempt at signing a player before his breakthrough in the hope you e unearthed a gem. It was widely accepted it was a high risk and high reward considering his price tag.

Nothing in his career pointed to him being a nailed on star. He had a good 6 months at Atalanta but there are a long list of strikers who have a decent run a fizzle out.

The United move was just too much and too soon for him. I have no doubt he can reignite his career somewhere else and be a decent to good striker.
 
Does anyone think, once he gets that goal, they will start flowing?
It happened last season and I think that's why I was so pissed off at Dalot's stupidity last week. Yes we're clutching at straws here but we can judge when it happens.
 
The purple patch and his run in europe last season, proves he can do it at United though.

Purple patch doesnt mean he can do it again, thats why you call it a purple patch!

Do you remember that patch Miguel Almiron had in 22/23? When he scored in like 9 games in a row. He never had that form again and now plays in the MLS.
 
How did you read it like that? we've created 17 shots for our number one striker in 28 games!? XG is a sign of the quality of chances created, he’s got two goals from a 2.3/2.7 XG rating. Shots taken is a completely different metric. He's not going to score from shots that dont exist. He can try and shoot from ridiculous places like Garnacho or Antony which will boost his shots taken. It wouldn't mean anything. A central midfielder can shoot from 45 yards 12 times a game and have an excellent shots taken metric, bet he has 0 goals from them.

Our team creating next to nothing in attack is the main problem. Period.

Why do people keep talking as if he has nothing to do with why he doesn't have shots, it's stupid and ignores a huge part of what being a top striker is. Harry Kane would not average 17 shots if he played Hojlund's minutes, even Joshua Zirkzee averages more in the same team. He didn't cost big money just to be on the end of tap ins and even if he was, he's never in the correct place to score any tap ins. Where was he when Bruno's effort was saved yesterday and Raya was scrambling? But somehow because he is not there then that is his teammates' fault for not giving him shots, nonsense. It makes me think that a lot of people have zero understanding of what makes a striker great, if it was simply about his teammates creating for him then why bother buying Shearer when you can just stick Manucho up there and focus all your funds on creators to supply him with the shots?

He scored for a few games in a row last season wow, give him a pay rise! Joe Willock scored for 7 games running a couple of seasons ago, no one is advocating he is a top forward. The vast majority of Hojlund's time here has been nowhere near good enough, his scoring run is the exception not the rule when it comes to his suitability for his status in the squad. How can anyone make excuses for such a shoddy performance as the main 9 at a top club. If Hojlund played for any other club, not a single one of those constantly excusing him would want us to sign him, so why accept such poor levels when they're already here?

I recall a stat saying that Bruno was top of the charts for passes into the box in the league, so it's not like everyone just constantly shoots, it's just that Hojlund never manages to and that is on him. He may one day be good, but right now he is like an extremely poor mans Lukaku at the minute and even Lukaku was deemed not the right level, why must we ignore the simple truth that Hojlund is not good enough currently.
 
So you ignore all analysis then? Because no analysis ever on bbc, sky etc. will go into a players every involvement in a game? They will pick key moments to analyse.

Keane thinks the opposite of Rooney, it means nothing they just have fill their minutes on TV. He has scored 2 PL goals all season, that says something.
 
Keane thinks the opposite of Rooney, it means nothing they just have fill their minutes on TV. He has scored 2 PL goals all season, that says something.
Oh of course, that's not up for debate. I just think it's sad that poster went out of their way to not praise something that was good - even in isolation and then went off on a weird tangent instead of just being like 'yeah, that was good but he doesn't do it enough etc.' which is what a normal person would say, not to dismiss it.
 
Why do people keep talking as if he has nothing to do with why he doesn't have shots, it's stupid and ignores a huge part of what being a top striker is. Harry Kane would not average 17 shots if he played Hojlund's minutes, even Joshua Zirkzee averages more in the same team. He didn't cost big money just to be on the end of tap ins and even if he was, he's never in the correct place to score any tap ins. Where was he when Bruno's effort was saved yesterday and Raya was scrambling? But somehow because he is not there then that is his teammates' fault for not giving him shots, nonsense. It makes me think that a lot of people have zero understanding of what makes a striker great, if it was simply about his teammates creating for him then why bother buying Shearer when you can just stick Manucho up there and focus all your funds on creators to supply him with the shots?

He scored for a few games in a row last season wow, give him a pay rise! Joe Willock scored for 7 games running a couple of seasons ago, no one is advocating he is a top forward. The vast majority of Hojlund's time here has been nowhere near good enough, his scoring run is the exception not the rule when it comes to his suitability for his status in the squad. How can anyone make excuses for such a shoddy performance as the main 9 at a top club. If Hojlund played for any other club, not a single one of those constantly excusing him would want us to sign him, so why accept such poor levels when they're already here?

I recall a stat saying that Bruno was top of the charts for passes into the box in the league, so it's not like everyone just constantly shoots, it's just that Hojlund never manages to and that is on him. He may one day be good, but right now he is like an extremely poor mans Lukaku at the minute and even Lukaku was deemed not the right level, why must we ignore the simple truth that Hojlund is not good enough currently.

You are making counter arguments to arguments that werent made.

Of course the quality of striker makes a difference - thats getting onto conversion rate, a different metric. Obviously, if you create lots of good chances for a top striker, that combined with his ability means he will bag up. Create lots of good chances for a poor striker and they wont bag so many.

The stats show that he is on par with his XG, which measures your goals against the quality of chances you have had. In fact, most of our extremely low scoring squad and team are.

The problem is as a team we dont work enough high quality openings for anyone. Period.

We’d really need to see a huge gap between his XG and actual goals to validate your argument, which isn't there.

You can get obsessed with total shots - Garnacho and Antony were prolific shooters, but everyones sick of the ridiculous shots from angles they are never going to score from.

Bruno passes into the box - what happens next? Passes into the box means diddly squat if they dont turn into good chances.

If you are of the opinion that you just hate Hojlund full stop, put it like that.

You cant grow wheat in a drought.
 
You start to wonder if it's not that the chances don't come to him, it's that he doesn't get himself into positions for the chances. Surely there are unequivocally times where he hasn't been passed to but so often he's not even in the right area.

I noticed a lot last season during a bit of chaos in the box I'd think he'd scored but it always turned out to be McTominay. Every time we manage to score it's someone else applying the finish as Hojlund gets bundled over somewhere nowhere near the ball.

Needs to be loaned in the summer.
 
Convenient that, don't you think?
I don’t actually know what point you think you’re making. This was your rabbit hole about high analytics, not mine.

And are you seriously expecting me to sift through hours of content of Rio’s to rubber stamp having seen himgive extensive analysis before? Or you’re saying you have not seen Rio break down defenders and defensive do’s and don’ts before?
 
If Dalot had put that ball across against Soceidad, that defender likely would have beaten him to it. They almost always beat him to it. He is a one of the reasons we struggle to have scoring chances.
 
If Dalot had put that ball across against Soceidad, that defender likely would have beaten him to it. They almost always beat him to it. He is a one of the reasons we struggle to have scoring chances.
Nah, watch it again. Højlund created separation from the Sociedad defender, and a well-timed and accurate cross would have found him. Whether he could have finished it, is another question.
 
You start to wonder if it's not that the chances don't come to him, it's that he doesn't get himself into positions for the chances. Surely there are unequivocally times where he hasn't been passed to but so often he's not even in the right area.

I noticed a lot last season during a bit of chaos in the box I'd think he'd scored but it always turned out to be McTominay. Every time we manage to score it's someone else applying the finish as Hojlund gets bundled over somewhere nowhere near the ball.

Needs to be loaned in the summer.

Bit of both I think. He stopped moving for the Bruno chance yesterday - started ball watching, there was a follow up for someone there. But got across his man well for the chance that Gabriel somehow blocked. So examples of poor and good striker movement in one game. Did he not make the run from back post to front post and backheel a shot vs leicester in FA cup that resulted in Zirkzees tap in?

We are 14th in the league on XG. Getting balls into good areas and scoring is a squadwide/teamwide issue.

Hes copping a lot of stick for that as hes the striker. But its attack wide - previously Antony and Rashford, Garnacho, Zirkzee - none of our attackers can hit a barn door at the moment.

We overpaid for him for sure and he shouldnt have had to be the main striker yet. We also have a tendency to regress pretty much any player we sign. Might be worth a loan but who are we bringing in as there wont be copious amounts of money to spend I dont think and striker is the most premium position
 
The discrepancy between a high xG and a low number of actual goals isn't the benchmark for a "bad" forward. Low xG alone is. These two numbers tend to even out as the sample size becomes bigger throughout the years. In fact, if you have a look at the "big chances missed" stats on the PL site, you'll see Haaland, Salah and Cole Palmer being right up there. You can't squander a chance if you don't shoot, after all. Why's that with Hojlund is a matter for debate. But in a similarly diabolical United side in 21-22, a 38-yo Ronaldo fully "deserved" his 18 PL goals. With only one of them being assisted by Fernandes, so it was all rather dysfunctional. As it is nowadays, too.
 
I don’t actually know what point you think you’re making. This was your rabbit hole about high analytics, not mine.

And are you seriously expecting me to sift through hours of content of Rio’s to rubber stamp having seen himgive extensive analysis before? Or you’re saying you have not seen Rio break down defenders and defensive do’s and don’ts before?
It's up to you, I have no idea how good or bad your memory is you referenced something and I asked you to essentially prove it. Point being, all analysis is cherry picked by nature, but you can learn something from all of it. The fact you dismissed a poster and Rooney's opinion because it didn't suit your view i.e. you believe Rooney mentioned something good about Hojlund because of:
positive reinforcement and it is nice of Rooney to do
Rather than the very obvious fact, that he is getting paid to do an article and so picks out something Hojlund did well in his view, and something he did not. There's nothing more to it than that. It also shouldn't be that hard for you to accept he can still do 'fantastic' things even if it's not regular enough, like his goal against Bodo or whoever with the touch and volley was genuinely world class, that doesn't mean he's a world class striker.
 
How did you read it like that? we've created 17 shots for our number one striker in 28 games!? XG is a sign of the quality of chances created, he’s got two goals from a 2.3/2.7 XG rating. Shots taken is a completely different metric. He's not going to score from shots that dont exist. He can try and shoot from ridiculous places like Garnacho or Antony which will boost his shots taken. It wouldn't mean anything. A central midfielder can shoot from 45 yards 12 times a game and have an excellent shots taken metric, bet he has 0 goals from them.

Our team creating next to nothing in attack is the main problem. Period.
We have created so few shots because he is incapable of creating separation from the defenders (and also because we are poor at creating tbf), and if he gets the ball to his feet he gets bullied off it. What are you expecting the team to do with that? Yeah he's had a couple of instances where he was free and was ignored, but they are few and far between. A number 9 is a focal point of the attack but he can't work out how to get into space. Bruno is one of the best in the league at creating something out of nothing with a line splitting pass and even he can't find Rasmus, he needs to be an understudy to a senior striker and work on his movement, rather than the ridiculous situation of him being the only non-youth striker in the squad.
 
Højlund should be benched, but the only alternative right now is Obi, who is 17 and not ready to be the leading striker for Manchester United. Both players have high ceilings. If you go back to Højlunds purple patch last season almost everyone in here believed he was the real deal. Now it is the absolute opposite. Both opinions are right though. Rasmus has been really bad in 2025. I gave him a 5 yesterday, but I see things that indicates that he is slowly moving in the right direction again. There were good runs in the last two games and with a bit of luck he would have bagged a couple of goals. I really do think, that he will get back, when he catches a bit of luck and confidence. He and Dalot are the scapegoats at the moment, while barely no one speaks of Garnachos goal impact in this years PL. He seems to be popular despite not scoring. It is all too black or white.
 
I still can't believe I was told in this very thread that Kolo Muani, who has since scored 5 and assisted 2 in 8 games for Juve is not better than this guy...
 
It's up to you, I have no idea how good or bad your memory is you referenced something and I asked you to essentially prove it. Point being, all analysis is cherry picked by nature, but you can learn something from all of it. The fact you dismissed a poster and Rooney's opinion because it didn't suit your view i.e. you believe Rooney mentioned something good about Hojlund because of:

Rather than the very obvious fact, that he is getting paid to do an article and so picks out something Hojlund did well in his view, and something he did not. There's nothing more to it than that. It also shouldn't be that hard for you to accept he can still do 'fantastic' things even if it's not regular enough, like his goal against Bodo or whoever with the touch and volley was genuinely world class, that doesn't mean he's a world class striker.
You seem to be hypersensitive to what is an obvious piece of uplifting nicety from Rooney taking it as a perceived slight from me? In more than one post I stated where “high analysis” could’ve taken said point and turned it into a horrible negative from Rooney pointing out the countless things Højlund does/did wrong per game rather than the few times he does what is expected as a bare minimum of a PL striker. There’s not much more to it than that. No snipe, no denigrating, which is why this is a mountain out of a molehill that you’re taking well off into a tangent from my POV.

I specifically mentioned the ex-players I did because they are some of the few who have or do extensive, more highly analytical pieces that cover the whole, to the positive and negative.

Rooney does right by the player and you seem to be miffed about it?

And with regard to me acknowledging when Højlund does anything I deem fantastic, have a look at my posts regarding a few of the goals that were actually spectacular.

I don’t have any hesitation in praising the player for doing things I feel are impressive. I am not at all a fan of cherry picking fleeting good, however, or at least highlighting that it is cherrypicking.
 
There is nothing in his movement or link up play to suggest he can be even half decent for us. The whole chances created with him is a false indicator because he's not making himself available or in a position for someone to set him up - he's a ghost up front. I appreciate he has of late been in a good position and he's not been found, but a good striker creates these opportunities over and over again - Rasmus doesn't and he doesn't even look capable half the time. His footballing IQ is low for the position he plays.
He's the one player who I don't worry about leaving us and going on to have a decent career elsewhere - in fact, when his contract runs out (no one will give us a penny for him), he will probably be playing in Belgium or South Korea at best.
 
There is nothing in his movement or link up play to suggest he can be even half decent for us. The whole chances created with him is a false indicator because he's not making himself available or in a position for someone to set him up - he's a ghost up front. I appreciate he has of late been in a good position and he's not been found, but a good striker creates these opportunities over and over again - Rasmus doesn't and he doesn't even look capable half the time. His footballing IQ is low for the position he plays.
He's the one player who I don't worry about leaving us and going on to have a decent career elsewhere - in fact, when his contract runs out (no one will give us a penny for him), he will probably be playing in Belgium or South Korea at best.
I was curious about something regarding your post so Googled, and this was the first thing that came up: https://totalfootballanalysis.com/a...-bergamo-202223-scout-report-tactics-analysis

It’s a surreal read now!
 
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"Despite his height of 194 cm, he possesses explosive quickness and delicate skill." ...the description or Erling in that article, I won't trust anything writen below that last statement
That was before he came here. He looked a different player then. Perhaps not to that extent, but yeah..
 
How did you read it like that? we've created 17 shots for our number one striker in 28 games!? XG is a sign of the quality of chances created, he’s got two goals from a 2.3/2.7 XG rating. Shots taken is a completely different metric. He's not going to score from shots that dont exist. He can try and shoot from ridiculous places like Garnacho or Antony which will boost his shots taken. It wouldn't mean anything. A central midfielder can shoot from 45 yards 12 times a game and have an excellent shots taken metric, bet he has 0 goals from them.

Our team creating next to nothing in attack is the main problem. Period.
A strikers movement plays a huge part in them getting chances, their reaction time allows them to get shots away, getting involved in the game creates more opportunities around the box, etc. A striker doesn't just sit at the top and then say that it's everybody else's fault that they aren't getting chances. All those things Hojlund is doing terribly at, hence why his xG is so low. His first chance against Arsenal won't even register in xG as he didn't get a shot away despite it obviously being an incredibly good chance. He was nowhere near the play during the last minute scramble after Bruno's shot. And so on.

Zirkzee, who is bemoaned by pretty much everyone for not having any strikers instincts and not having good movement around the box, gets almost double the amount of shots and xG as Hojlund (and from closer to goal). 17yo Obi in his short stints in the first team has shown much more likelihood to get chances around the box.

The team as a whole doesn't create enough chances, that is obvious. No striker would be getting a huge amount of chances. But just how unbelievably bad it is for Hojlund is on Hojlund himself. He's not doing his part.
 
I was curious about something regarding your post so Googled, and this was the first thing that came up: https://totalfootballanalysis.com/a...-bergamo-202223-scout-report-tactics-analysis

It’s a surreal read now!
Literally nothing in that report has come to fruition at United. The pace, link up play, finishing…we’ve not seen any of this beyond a wee purple patch last season.

I think it’s safe to say we need to find a solution to move him on where and when possible.
 
I still can't believe I was told in this very thread that Kolo Muani, who has since scored 5 and assisted 2 in 8 games for Juve is not better than this guy...

Well to be fair Juve are a much better side than United at present and have had some quite easy fixtures since January. We will never know but there is every chance that Kolo Muani would not have scored yet if he had come here considering we seem to be on some bizarre quest to become the worst team in the history of professional football for chance creation.
 
I really thought he would be a star, last year he showed some really good glimpses of what he could do. He is young, a United fan, talented and had the foundations to be special.

Fast forward to now, im fed up of watching him. Others have argued his positioning is bad, I think it's okay. Twice on Sunday he got in a good position, the finishing was absolutely awful. I know the lack of service makes it tougher for him, but some of the chances he has failed to covert is astonishing. You could say a lack of confidence? It's been almost a season. You could say the change in system is new, he played this system in Italy, he knows it.

We are running out of excuses for him to be here, all I can see now is that we massively overpaid for a striker who is not at the level this club needs.