Views: 0
We thought Rasmus Hojlund’s run of seven goals in six games put an end to his chances of being named transfer flop of the season, but he’s put himself right back in the running.
It’s been a curious debut season for Manchester United’s £64m striker. He scored five goals in three Champions League group games, all of which United lost, and all of his nine Premier League goal contributions (seven goals and two assists) came in six consecutive games between Boxing Day and February 18. He’s drawn a complete blank in the 18 games besides.
That spell at the turn of the year that left egg on the faces of five of the nine Football365 writers, who had up to that point felt awfully smug having predicted the Denmark international would be the biggest flop of the season.
It wasn’t just the number but the quality of the goals that Hojlund was scoring that made us all feel a bit daft as we instead questioned whether Manchester United may have broken their decade-long transfer policy and signed a very good footballer for a reasonable price. If anything, £64m looked like a bargain.
But was it a false dawn? After his brace against Luton in mid-February Hojlund missed three games through injury, but contrary to the understandable belief of many watching United games since, he has actually started their last five in all competitions.
Not only has he failed to score or assist in any of those five games, he’s had just three shots and one on target, and 14 touches in total in the opposition box. Manchester United have essentially been playing with ten men: a criticism now typically aimed at Manchester City and Erling Haaland.