Rasmus Højlund | Signed for United

[RedStarUnited]

I guess ETH might be accepting this season is building towards challenging next season - which to me is fair, in a third season with spending you need to be up there. The question is can he improve us as a team, I'd say yes immediately, but that's mainly because we have no striker. If we sign him and he gets anywhere close to 15 goals first season I'll be happy to be honest.

Wow what a low expectation. FYI Martial got 9 last year with all his injuries.

 

[pacifictheme]

Yeah he's on a hiding to nothing. Not really his fault but if you are signed for 60 million euros as United's main out and out striker you've got to be getting close to 20 goals in a season at least.

I know nothing going about this lad really, but we are pinning a lot on him.

 

[peridigm]

Yeah he's on a hiding to nothing. Not really his fault but if you are signed for 60 million euros as United's main out and out striker you've got to be getting close to 20 goals in a season at least.

I know nothing going about this lad really, but we are pinning a lot on him.

I'd add in the PL at least.

 

[Trex]

Yeah he's on a hiding to nothing. Not really his fault but if you are signed for 60 million euros as United's main out and out striker you've got to be getting close to 20 goals in a season at least.

I know nothing going about this lad really, but we are pinning a lot on him.

50 million Euros is Fred money that doesn't buy you a 20 goal striker. You need double that for a 20_goal striker.

 

[Gandalf]

Wow what a low expectation. FYI Martial got 9 last year with all his injuries.

And Wout got how many?

A 20 year old playing his first season in the PL getting 15 goals would be a great return. Tony got 9 from 29 games and is a much more experienced player so if you are turning your nose up at the prospect of a 15 goal return I don't know what to tell you other than the only players likely to score more are either not available or have prices starting at 120M.

 

[Raees]

I did not know this channel was @Raees. Great stuff man, your vids are very informative and well thought out.

Cheers mate. Should be out tonight/tomorrow on Patreon but will try my best to overcome the copyright hurdles to get it up on YouTube too.

In short though, he has a lot of weaknesses but there is also a tonne of potential. Overall leaning towards very excited.

 

[theklr]

Yeah he's on a hiding to nothing. Not really his fault but if you are signed for 60 million euros as United's main out and out striker you've got to be getting close to 20 goals in a season at least.

I know nothing going about this lad really, but we are pinning a lot on him.

Its quite clear the striker position will be shared between him, Rashford and Martial, even Sancho.

United are pinning on his future and development, not this next season.

 

[Bertie Wooster]

50 million Euros is Fred money that doesn't buy you a 20 goal striker. You need double that for a 20_goal striker.

Yeah, I think there's a lot of unfair pressure / expectation being put on Hojlund from some in here.

That seems to be stemming from the fact that the fee is a steep one for a 20 year old from Atalanta. But it's not a huge fee for a #9 - and nowhere near the going rate for a #9 who should have the expectations of scoring at least 20 in his first season (and some even saying at least 20 PL goals).

@bosnian_red did a great post highlighting how many of the elite strikers had their first 'big' season around 22. And, as he said, that's why Hojlund is affordable for us now - because we see that potential, but it might be a year or two before he starts hitting those big numbers. But we hope, once he does, that becomes the norm as he enters his prime years.

I see next year as another year of progression for us, before we have any kind of realistic hopes of winning the PL / CL. With the takeover / FFP issues, big money elite signings were out of the equation but we've managed (if Hojlund does arrive) to make some strong, affordable signings in the key areas that helps us look stronger and more suited to how ETH wants to play.

Yes, we haven't been able to spend enough to likely close the gap to City significantly, but with everything that's been going on I think we look like having a pretty decent window given the circumstances and gives ETH a decent chance of having a perfectly solid season before, hopefully, having more to spend next year if the ownership issue has finally been resolved.

 

[Real Name]

He already has a warm welcome, that's for sure.

 

[Adnan]

If he gets 15 goals and the team collectively score around 75 goals in the league, then that should be a good season as far as goals scored is concerned imo. Goals need to come from all across the attack and midfield with occasional contributions from the back-line.

Brighton scored over 70 goals in the league with Danny Welbeck leading the line and he only got 6 goals.

 

[Dannn411]

While €60+ million is yet again another significant overpay by this football club, I think he will do well. Bruno creates chances for fun, Rashford will command so much of the opposition's attention and nobody can be worse than Wout Weghorst. He's bound to score goals unless he's truly horrific.

 

[Bojan Djordjic]

Wow what a low expectation. FYI Martial got 9 last year with all his injuries.

Huh? Do you actually think he is going to score more than 15 league goals? Imho, that would be amazing for a 20 year old striker especially if he pitches in with asssists.

 

[pacifictheme]

Its quite clear the striker position will be shared between him, Rashford and Martial, even Sancho.

United are pinning on his future and development, not this next season.

In the top six last season we scored ten less than the next highest scorers, 30 behind arsenal and 36 goals behind city. We were even 14 behind Brighton. We will need a striker to chip in with a lot, unless we are expecting everyone else to up their output by a decent amount. The others players you mentioned all contributed to our meagre total last year.

I'm not trying to be doom and gloom but ultimately we will need to see him score a decent amount if we hope to do anything next season, he will get hammered if he does not. So will ten hag. Not from me but they will.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Wow what a low expectation. FYI Martial got 9 last year with all his injuries.

PL goals. 15 would be excellent in my mind 1st season.

 

[sullydnl]

Non-penalty goals per minute last season:

Mitrovic - 0.45
Jesus - 0.44
Hojlund - 0.44
Gakpo - 0.43
Toney - 0.43
Watkins - 0.40

If he translates anything like his current goals rate to the PL then we should be delighted, because at 20 he'd be in line with the main CFs of two of our top four rivals as well as some of the older B-list strikers some posters have suggested we sign.

The reality is that, Haaland and Kane aside, the standard of striker isn't that high in the league. With there being no realisitic expectation that we really challenge for the title this season, Hojlund has a bit of time to adjust.

I'm much more interested in seeing how he fits in terms of general play.

 

[Massive Spanner]

I just think it’s too much to put on a young striker to ask them to follow on from the greatness of Wout.

 

[lex talionis]

I only worry about overpaying for a player if that overpayment meant that we had to take a pass on another player we desperately needed.

As for Hojlund himself, he comes to OT as a virtual unknown footballer with the promise of a lot of potential. I doubt a single caf poster expects the boy to score 20+ in his first season, but at the same time we do have to expect fairly immediate returns at least in terms of creating chances, opening space for Antony and Rashford to exploit, and scoring a few goals here and there.

For me it's a real shame we couldn't have used the cash that we demonstrably do have in the budget to bring in a proven striker-- by far and away our most glaring hole in the squad. We have a squad that's ready to challenge for the PL title now, not in 2-3 seasons. In 2-3 seasons we'll see peak Hojlund but Casemiro and Varane will be gone, Bruno will be past peak and Shaw will be past peak. Maybe we'll replace all four in 2-3 years, but these four players are at a point in their careers where they can form the spine of a proper challenge for every trophy and to bring in a striker who will probably take 2-3 years to hit his peak means in all likelihood not winning a major trophy -- for me, if you don't have a proven striker you are not winning a major trophy -- while we still have these four incredible footballers.

 

[RedStarUnited]

Huh? Do you actually think he is going to score more than 15 league goals? Imho, that would be amazing for a 20 year old striker especially if he pitches in with asssists.

I assumed total goals.

As someone mentioned, if his numbers are low I hope he makes he makes the attack as a whole do better.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

 

[nainaisson]

He already has a warm welcome, that's for sure.

Yeah, and that warm welcome will last until he goes two whole games w/o scoring a goal.

 

[Marcelinho87]

I think this is done, was dependant on the Atalanta replacement.

 

[mu4c_20le]

What we offered was 50+10. This being a negotiation it is most likely we end up somewhere like 60+7 as happened with our other two deals this summer.

Not too far off

 

[Rhyme Animal]

For me it's a real shame we couldn't have used the cash that we demonstrably do have in the budget to bring in a proven striker-- by far and away our most glaring hole in the squad. We have a squad that's ready to challenge for the PL title now, not in 2-3 seasons. In 2-3 seasons we'll see peak Hojlund but Casemiro and Varane will be gone, Bruno will be past peak and Shaw will be past peak. Maybe we'll replace all four in 2-3 years, but these four players are at a point in their careers where they can form the spine of a proper challenge for every trophy and to bring in a striker who will probably take 2-3 years to hit his peak means in all likelihood not winning a major trophy -- for me, if you don't have a proven striker you are not winning a major trophy -- while we still have these four incredible footballers.

Completely agree. It’s likely idiotic and irresponsible to be blunt.

That’s not Højlund’s fault obviously, in fact it’s a point that has absolutely nothing to do with him.

But if you told most Utd fans when the season ended, ‘your club will spunk £110m on Mason Mount and Rasmus Højlund this window’, most fans, if we’re honest wouldn’t even believe it and would laugh at you.

 

[L1nk]

I only worry about overpaying for a player if that overpayment meant that we had to take a pass on another player we desperately needed.

As for Hojlund himself, he comes to OT as a virtual unknown footballer with the promise of a lot of potential. I doubt a single caf poster expects the boy to score 20+ in his first season, but at the same time we do have to expect fairly immediate returns at least in terms of creating chances, opening space for Antony and Rashford to exploit, and scoring a few goals here and there.

For me it's a real shame we couldn't have used the cash that we demonstrably do have in the budget to bring in a proven striker-- by far and away our most glaring hole in the squad. We have a squad that's ready to challenge for the PL title now, not in 2-3 seasons. In 2-3 seasons we'll see peak Hojlund but Casemiro and Varane will be gone, Bruno will be past peak and Shaw will be past peak. Maybe we'll replace all four in 2-3 years, but these four players are at a point in their careers where they can form the spine of a proper challenge for every trophy and to bring in a striker who will probably take 2-3 years to hit his peak means in all likelihood not winning a major trophy -- for me, if you don't have a proven striker you are not winning a major trophy -- while we still have these four incredible footballers.

Completely agree. It’s likely idiotic and irresponsible to be blunt.

That’s not Højlund’s fault obviously, in fact it’s a point that has absolutely nothing to do with him.

But if you told most Utd fans when the season ended, ‘your club will spunk £110m on Mason Mount and Rasmus Højlund this window’, most fans, if we’re honest wouldn’t even believe it and would laugh at you.

Okay but who's the proven striker?

Levy won't sell Kane to us despite what people are saying on RedCafe
Osimhen is 150 odd million so we sign him and practically improve the squad in no other position

Who is the proven striker, outside of those 2, that would satisfy you both? Provided we could afford them and it made sense for the club

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

No. He's a striker.

If he doesn't score then the effort won't matter.

The fan love of Weghorst dispelled this. That guy never scored and was one of the worst footballers we've ever had but people loved him for trying hard.

As for Hojlund, he'll no doubt score double digits. Will he be proficient? Probably not, but even just his threat will open up the pitch in a way we haven't had in a while.

 

[Red in STL]

Wow what a low expectation. FYI Martial got 9 last year with all his injuries.

Martial is an experienced player in the PL. this a 20 year old kid that's never played in the PL

 

[sglowrider]

In the top six last season we scored ten less than the next highest scorers, 30 behind arsenal and 36 goals behind city. We were even 14 behind Brighton. We will need a striker to chip in with a lot, unless we are expecting everyone else to up their output by a decent amount. The others players you mentioned all contributed to our meagre total last year.

I'm not trying to be doom and gloom but ultimately we will need to see him score a decent amount if we hope to do anything next season, he will get hammered if he does not. So will ten hag. Not from me but they will.

There is always a huge group of people who like to moan without thinking regardless. He's feckin' 20y.o. and a long way from being the finished product.

If the moaners don't understand that --- it only indicates how little they know about the game. So let's see who the ignorant fecks that will crawl out of the woodwork next season.

 

[sglowrider]

Cheers mate. Should be out tonight/tomorrow on Patreon but will try my best to overcome the copyright hurdles to get it up on YouTube too.

In short though, he has a lot of weaknesses but there is also a tonne of potential. Overall leaning towards very excited.

Fyi. I really enjoy your videos Raees. Thanks for the efforts!

 

[EisernSchild]

Rasmus Højlund : What the Dane shows in his six months in Graz is remarkable. The striker provided 12 goals and four assists in 20 games - and has long been on the radar of top international leagues. Altach coach and former world champion Miroslav Klose also enthused after the game: "An interesting player with good timing. He moves well between the lines, has depth and combines well with his teammates. Actually, I don't like to say anything about young strikers. But here I say clearly: Rasmus Højlund can have a good career!”

Kronen Zeitung (Austria) 16.08.2022

 

[Abraxas]

I think we'd bite someone's hand off for 15 league goals, keeping in mind there's no chance he'll have penalty goals so they would be entirely from open play. That would be an outstanding return for a 20 year old, surprised there's even a feeling he should get 20 goals in his first season. Realistically if he gets 15 league goals his valuation is probably closer to 80 million than 60. Evan Ferguson has scored a handful of goals, no way near 15 in a season and what price on him?

I think par is more like 10-12. That would be decent and something to build on and then we need Rashford to play well which he should. It's not going to scare City but I'm not sure there's a viable move we can make that guarantees much more. I think we're looking at strikers that are probably going to get much less than 20 goals unless they produce an unexpected break out season.

 

[Hester_manc]

As a Dane and a United fan, I am really excited about this transfer. I can't remember the last time there were 2 Danes on the pitch for United at the same time. It must have been John Sivebæk and Jesper Olsen, as I don't think Peter Schmeichel and Mads Timm played at the same time in Timm's only game for us.

I remember when I saw Rasmus Højlund in his first season for FC Copenhagen. I never thought he would develop to be good enough to join United. He was not so good in the domestic league, but in the European matches, he was sharp. It was very confusing that there was this difference. But at the same time you could see that there must be a talent here.

Now I saw that his 2 younger brothers (twins) made their league debut for FC Copenhagen last weekend, so it's super exciting to follow their development as well.

 

[sglowrider]

I think par is more like 10-12. That would be decent and something to build on and then we need Rashford to play well which he should. It's not going to scare City but I'm not sure there's a viable move we can make that guarantees much more. I think we're looking at strikers that are probably going to get much less than 20 goals unless they produce an unexpected break out season.

I would be happy with that for next season. Anything more would be a bonus.

 

[sglowrider]

Now I saw that his 2 younger brothers (twins) made their league debut for FC Copenhagen last weekend, so it's super exciting to follow their development as well.

Three brothers in the same game/side one day?

 

[Abraxas]

I would be happy with that for next season. Anything more would be a bonus.

It would decent.

I think a realistic scenario is he gets into double figures, and leads the line with more consistency than Wout and Martial, with his runs creating space for Rashford, Antony, Bruno and Sancho to play better. He may dip in and out if and when Martial bothers to reach form.

Those guys have to step up massively. I think that's the key when you're introducing a young striker like this. The more experienced attackers need to produce more rather than putting all the emphasis on the new player to come in and score loads while all those guys are just on rinse and repeat from last season. That can't be the case. Those guys on big contracts that have the benefit of experience at the club need to pull their weight.

 

[croadyman]

Remember when the gossip was like “oh, they’re going to go and get Harry Kane, and a prospect from Atalanta as a back up”
And we were all happy with that?? .. I’m really not sure now it just seems to be this kid, and that’s it.. if he doesn’t hit the ground running, which is a huge ask really, he’ll be crucified

I won't be crucifying him because think he's on a similar development path to those other late bloomers. We were never signing both unless takeover got sorted.

 

[sglowrider]

It would decent.

I think a realistic scenario is he gets into double figures, and leads the line with more consistency than Wout and Martial, with his runs creating space for Rashford, Antony, Bruno and Sancho to play better. He may dip in and out if and when Martial bothers to reach form.

Those guys have to step up massively. I think that's the key when you're introducing a young striker like this. The more experienced attackers need to produce more rather than putting all the emphasis on the new player to come in and score loads while all those guys are just on rinse and repeat from last season. That can't be the case. Those guys on big contracts that have the benefit of experience at the club need to pull their weight.

Agree. At this stage of his career, it's more critical that he creates opportunities or 'pre-assists' for others. Now let's hope the others (Bruno, Sancho, Rashford, Antony etc) start improving their composure in front of the goal and start scoring more.

 

[Adnan]

In the top six last season we scored ten less than the next highest scorers, 30 behind arsenal and 36 goals behind city. We were even 14 behind Brighton. We will need a striker to chip in with a lot, unless we are expecting everyone else to up their output by a decent amount. The others players you mentioned all contributed to our meagre total last year.

I'm not trying to be doom and gloom but ultimately we will need to see him score a decent amount if we hope to do anything next season, he will get hammered if he does not. So will ten hag. Not from me but they will.

The difference between United and the three teams you've mentioned is that those three teams were amongst the best teams in the league at playing out from the back. And because they were good at playing out of from the back, they could then raise the defensive line and play the game in the opponent's half, which allowed for a high volume of their players to commit to the attacking third. And hence Brighton scored over 70 goals in the league whilst their starting striker Welbeck scored 6 goals.

United on the other hand were amongst the teams who had the lowest defensive line height and struggled against teams who pressed us high. Improving on that aspect alone by adding Onana, Mount and if possible Ambrabat, will see us get higher up the pitch in a collective block, which will open up even more opportunities for the team to score due to more of our players playing in the opponent's half with the press and counter press also being a additional weapon.

Add a striker to our existing options on top of creating a team structure with the correct pieces from the GK up, so we can player higher up the pitch, and the goals will come imo.

What I want to see is a improvement in the proactive nature in our players so we can play on the front foot higher up the pitch. And if we can make a marked improvement in that regard, then we will get closer to the likes of City, Arsenal, Brighton and Liverpool when it comes to scoring goals. The graph below indicates our issues in comparison to the teams you mentioned.

 

[croadyman]

I only worry about overpaying for a player if that overpayment meant that we had to take a pass on another player we desperately needed.

As for Hojlund himself, he comes to OT as a virtual unknown footballer with the promise of a lot of potential. I doubt a single caf poster expects the boy to score 20+ in his first season, but at the same time we do have to expect fairly immediate returns at least in terms of creating chances, opening space for Antony and Rashford to exploit, and scoring a few goals here and there.

For me it's a real shame we couldn't have used the cash that we demonstrably do have in the budget to bring in a proven striker-- by far and away our most glaring hole in the squad. We have a squad that's ready to challenge for the PL title now, not in 2-3 seasons. In 2-3 seasons we'll see peak Hojlund but Casemiro and Varane will be gone, Bruno will be past peak and Shaw will be past peak. Maybe we'll replace all four in 2-3 years, but these four players are at a point in their careers where they can form the spine of a proper challenge for every trophy and to bring in a striker who will probably take 2-3 years to hit his peak means in all likelihood not winning a major trophy -- for me, if you don't have a proven striker you are not winning a major trophy -- while we still have these four incredible footballers.

Yeah the trouble is that proven striker who can just slot straight in plays for a team who has a nightmare CEO to deal with. Having said that not being able to push the boat out for him is down to the dithering leeches who run this club.

I think the biggest problem is Haaland is such a freak of a talent that he's making people's goal returns at that age just look mediocre.

Does really frustrate me we couldn't get a striker to get the best out of Varane,Casemiro & Bruno in their prime with us but that's not Höjlund's fault

 

[windycityfan]

What a strange way to juxtapose the scale, but I understand the reader infers top right quadrant is optimal. Thank you sharing though. Good stuff.

 

[croadyman]

Okay but who's the proven striker?

Levy won't sell Kane to us despite what people are saying on RedCafe
Osimhen is 150 odd million so we sign him and practically improve the squad in no other position

Who is the proven striker, outside of those 2, that would satisfy you both? Provided we could afford them and it made sense for the club

See no one has given you any suggestions