‘Rasmus Hojlund set for Man United lifeline amid striker frustration’
Manchester United have been dealt a fresh blow in their pursuit of a Rasmus Hojlund upgrade.
After steering the Red Devils to a lowly Premier League finish last season, Ruben Amorim is overseeing a rebuild at Old Trafford this summer.
Notable outgoings have included England international Marcus Rashford, who has joined Barcelona on loan, although the Catalonian giants have the option to buy him at the end of next season.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have signed Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and former Wolves star Matheus Cunha to reshape their forward line.
Hojlund handed Manchester United reprieve amid Ollie Watkins bombshell
Former Red Devils chief scout Mick Brown exclusively informed Football Insider in May that Manchester United want to sell Hojlund.
The 22-year-old notched a poor return of just four goals in 32 Premier League appearances last season.
Summer additions Mbeumo and Cunha should add attacking prowess to Amorim’s ranks, but the need for an out-and-out striker remains.
However, The Telegraph revealed on Thursday, 24 July, that Aston Villa have warned the Old Trafford club that Ollie Watkins is not for sale amid transfer advances from Amorim’s men.
With the Premier League season drawing closer, Hojlund appears increasingly likely to continue leading the line for Man United.
Mbeumo can share goalscoring responsibilities with Hojlund
Beginning the new season with Hojlund, who has struggled to perform for the North West giants, up front is not an ideal scenario for Amorim’s side amid their quest to climb the Premier League table.
| Rasmus Hojlund stats | Premier League 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 32 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 0 |
Meanwhile, fellow striker Joshua Zirkzee also struggled for goals last term, scoring just three in 32 top-flight appearances in his debut season at Old Trafford.
Amorim would ideally like to begin the Premier League campaign with a proven goalscorer such as Villa hotshot Watkins at his disposal, rather than the largely unreliable services of Hojlund and Zirkzee.
However, one factor that does fall in Amorim’s favour is that Mbeumo can operate as an out-and-out striker when required, and did so with distinction when Ivan Toney was suspended before his Brentford departure.
Mbeumo’s return of 20 goals and seven assists in 38 Premier League outings for the Bees last season shows that he could share attacking responsibilities to greater effect than Hojlund.