[Rainy nights in Stoke]

Some of you lot should be ashamed of yourselves. We all know your opinions, you don’t need to keep repeating them as nauseam. This is well into bullying territory, and the same treatment Maguire got. You talk about a pressurized environment hindering his development - wonder where that comes from.

 

[Big Ron’s Coat]

He hit the post yesterday after 50 sec of play after a good run. He looked really fast.

Super fit and super sharp. He lost out on some duels but was a real handful and won a couple you wouldn’t expect him to. The moaning is posters who either didn't watch the match or have their minds made up about him. I don’t expect him to be world class but he is obviously working his arse off and doing his best so give the lad some credit when he puts in a decent performance, FFS.

 

[Denis79]

I only watched the highlights. Before I did, I read a sky sports article about how United need a new striker (do these guys even try anymore?) based on this game. Now, I'm of the opinion that we obviously do need a new striker. However, the reason this journalist gave in his piece was because of a chance Højlund missed when bearing down on goal and hitting the post.

But when you watch the highlights, the chance in question was a great show of strength and pace where he manages to get a good shot away. It was a very low xG chance, that he did pretty well with and was unlucky to not get more from it.

Højlund's main problem is that he only gets chances like this. He can't get into positions to just finish a move off regularly enough. He's nowhere near as bad as people make out, but we need someone better.

The only time we catch glimpses of the quality we need from him is when he makes runs into the channels, something he does quite well, thanks to his pace. However, this is just one facet of the game. The rest of his overall play falls significantly short. His first touch is poor, which causes problems in buildup play, and his positional awareness is seriously lacking. Aside from his straight-line runs that rely on speed, he shows little understanding of how to position himself intelligently, a critical trait for any striker looking to get into goal-scoring opportunities.

Relying on Hojlund as a regular starter going into this season feels like a major mistake. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong and enjoys a decent season, but at this stage, I don’t believe he has the complete skill-set required to consistently lead the line at this level.

 

[Marwood]

Thought he looked decent.

The final ball to him was again so poor. I don’t know what happens to this team. We knock it about OK but that final pass to the 9 is so often over or under hit.

 

[Irrational.]

The world isn’t ready for Bearded Hojlund.

 

[CM]

I thought he did alright last night, he looked a lot fitter and seemed to have some confidence back.

If we have any interest in keeping him, we really need to focus on getting him in behind more often. It's quite clear to me that he's a transition based player. He's reasonably quick and a willing runner and most of the goals he scored for us in Europe came that way. That's also how he got his chance in the first minute last night.

When he has to drop deep and fight defenders for the ball, that's where he looks lost. His back to goal game isn't polished enough to do that for the majority of the game.

 

[HotOne]

Some of you lot should be ashamed of yourselves. We all know your opinions, you don’t need to keep repeating them as nauseam. This is well into bullying territory, and the same treatment Maguire got. You talk about a pressurized environment hindering his development - wonder where that comes from.

People aren't allowed to say when they think a player isn't good enough for the club?

People are seemingly forced to keep repeating their opinion out of frustration when a manager keeps playing a player that obviously isn't good enough. It's such a waste of time playing someone that's not going to come good and therefore we should be utilising pre-season to try other options up front, given we don't know if we are going to sign a new striker.

 

[Steve 007]

I have only watched the highlights tried to find the game this morning but couldn’t.

Before I watched I read this from sky sports.

“Manchester United are going to struggle to hit the heights expected under Ruben Amorim with Rasmus Hojlund as their centre-forward. There is more than enough evidence to support this argument. This fixture was another bad day at the office for Hojlund, whose work ethic and commitment off the ball can't be criticised but his problems centre around the in-possession stuff. He doesn't create. He misses chances. That's the start and end of it.

"Two wild finishes in the first half epitomised his struggles, firstly striking the post when through on goal down the left before wildly ballooning another chance from the edge of the box into the stands. It's been a good window for United so far - it would become a great one if they could find an upgrade on Hojlund."

I then watched the highlights. He outpaced a West Ham defender (Kilman) who had at least two yards on him, running from inside our half with pace and shielded the ball well, he then struck a powerful drive on his left foot against the outside of the post near the top corner. I’d describe this as a moment of class and say he’s unlucky to have not scored an absolute screamer.

 

[Oranges038]

I have only watched the highlights tried to find the game this morning but couldn’t.

Before I watched I read this from sky sports.

“Manchester United are going to struggle to hit the heights expected under Ruben Amorim with Rasmus Hojlund as their centre-forward. There is more than enough evidence to support this argument. This fixture was another bad day at the office for Hojlund, whose work ethic and commitment off the ball can't be criticised but his problems centre around the in-possession stuff. He doesn't create. He misses chances. That's the start and end of it.

"Two wild finishes in the first half epitomised his struggles, firstly striking the post when through on goal down the left before wildly ballooning another chance from the edge of the box into the stands. It's been a good window for United so far - it would become a great one if they could find an upgrade on Hojlund."

I then watched the highlights. He outpaced a West Ham defender (Kilman) who had at least two yards on him, running from inside our half with pace and shielded the ball well, he then struck a powerful drive on his left foot against the outside of the post near the top corner. I’d describe this as a moment of class and say he’s unlucky to have not scored an absolute screamer.

Odd phrasing indeed. It was a brilliant bit of play and a great attempt on goal. Second attempt left a lot to be desired.

 

[Denis79]

I have only watched the highlights tried to find the game this morning but couldn’t.

Before I watched I read this from sky sports.

“Manchester United are going to struggle to hit the heights expected under Ruben Amorim with Rasmus Hojlund as their centre-forward. There is more than enough evidence to support this argument. This fixture was another bad day at the office for Hojlund, whose work ethic and commitment off the ball can't be criticised but his problems centre around the in-possession stuff. He doesn't create. He misses chances. That's the start and end of it.

"Two wild finishes in the first half epitomised his struggles, firstly striking the post when through on goal down the left before wildly ballooning another chance from the edge of the box into the stands. It's been a good window for United so far - it would become a great one if they could find an upgrade on Hojlund."

I then watched the highlights. He outpaced a West Ham defender (Kilman) who had at least two yards on him, running from inside our half with pace and shielded the ball well, he then struck a powerful drive on his left foot against the outside of the post near the top corner. I’d describe this as a moment of class and say he’s unlucky to have not scored an absolute screamer.

I watched the entire game, he started brightly but quickly faded and reverted to his usual form. Most outlets rightly ranked him as the lowest-performing player in the team.

 

[Ronaldo's Love Child]

The only time we catch glimpses of the quality we need from him is when he makes runs into the channels, something he does quite well, thanks to his pace. However, this is just one facet of the game. The rest of his overall play falls significantly short. His first touch is poor, which causes problems in buildup play, and his positional awareness is seriously lacking. Aside from his straight-line runs that rely on speed, he shows little understanding of how to position himself intelligently, a critical trait for any striker looking to get into goal-scoring opportunities.

Relying on Hojlund as a regular starter going into this season feels like a major mistake. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong and enjoys a decent season, but at this stage, I don’t believe he has the complete skill-set required to consistently lead the line at this level.

And from what I have seen from his time at Atalanta that is exactly how he played, often running the channels and cutting inside.

I am not sure he was ever a point man and yet we're trying to make him to do that

 

[Ceteris]

He looked fit, speedy and actually put in a shift, last season he just stopped running.

My worry is we don't need a "tryer" leading our line, we need a goal scorer but for a left footer he's so bad at hitting the target with it.

I saw a video of him and Amorim working on his finishing and you could see how slow he takes to sort his feet out. PL defenders are not giving you that amount of time to shoot

 

[Rainy nights in Stoke]

People aren't allowed to say when they think a player isn't good enough for the club?

People are seemingly forced to keep repeating their opinion out of frustration when a manager keeps playing a player that obviously isn't good enough. It's such a waste of time playing someone that's not going to come good and therefore we should be utilising pre-season to try other options up front, given we don't know if we are going to sign a new striker.

We’re way beyond that point. You have freedom of speech as much as the next guy, but coming on here just to moan about a young player doing his very best is just sad. What kind of world do you want to live in?

Some of the posters on here are like that gruff older guy in the back of the room in movies, spouting absolute diatribe, and when he inevitably is killed off everyone celebrates.

 

[Big Ron’s Coat]

I watched the entire game, he started brightly but quickly faded and reverted to his usual form. Most outlets rightly ranked him as the lowest-performing player in the team.

He was one of our better performers. I imagine the ratings you mention are due to the low opinion you and many have of him.

Narratives change slowly, if at all.

 

[Rossa]

We’re way beyond that point. You have freedom of speech as much as the next guy, but coming on here just to moan about a young player doing his very best is just sad. What kind of world do you want to live in?

Some of the posters on here are like that gruff older guy in the back of the room in movies, spouting absolute diatribe, and when he inevitably is killed off everyone celebrates.

Good on you, and important, in pointing this out. Unfortunately, some prefer trolling and moaning - team over individual players, as if those two aren’t symbiotic.

 

[bosnian_red]

He was one of our better performers. I imagine the ratings you mention are due to the low opinion you and many have of him.

Narratives change slowly, if at all.

He was one of our better performers for the 1st minute because of his good sprint in behind. Pretty standard after that with sloppy touches, poor shots, poor decision making, no connection with teammates.

 

[Denis79]

We’re way beyond that point. You have freedom of speech as much as the next guy, but coming on here just to moan about a young player doing his very best is just sad. What kind of world do you want to live in?

Some of the posters on here are like that gruff older guy in the back of the room in movies, spouting absolute diatribe, and when he inevitably is killed off everyone celebrates.

I've been highly critical of him, but you know what? You're absolutely right, it's not his fault he's being started when he's clearly not ready. The criticism should be directed at Amorim for continually persisting with him despite that.

 

[Big Ron’s Coat]

He was one of our better performers for the 1st minute because of his good sprint in behind. Pretty standard after that with sloppy touches, poor shots, poor decision making, no connection with teammates.

Come on. He fluffed one chance and lost out on a couple of duels but overall it was a decent performance. He won most of his duels and didn’t give the ball away. Give the lad a break.

 

[MikeKing]

His involvement on the ball was mostly erratic compared to his teammates , but comparing it with the second half team he did quite well. In summary, not good enough to be our lead striker at the moment, but he has enough about him to be one of our better subs, and hopefully he can progress this season.

 

[V.O.]

He was one of our better performers for the 1st minute because of his good sprint in behind. Pretty standard after that with sloppy touches, poor shots, poor decision making, no connection with teammates.

Is this a way to blame him for the 3-4 times he made a good run and Bruno/Cunha twatted the ball past him like they were taking a shot?

 

[Garethw]

Is this a way to blame him for the 3-4 times he made a good run and Bruno/Cunha twatted the ball past him like they were taking a shot?

That is damning on Hojlund. It shows His teammates have zero confidence in him.

 

[Big Ron’s Coat]

That is damning on Hojlund. It shows His teammates have zero confidence in him.

So now we’re blaming Rasmus for his teammates’ crap service.

 

[Fooza]

Who needs gyokeres, we have gyokeres at home, just 2-3 years raw

 

[Escobar]

He never was good enough and never will be. He will not bs able to improve and adapt so he szarts scoring for us

 

[Garethw]

So now we’re blaming Rasmus for his teammates’ crap service.

If your a striker and your teammates are not passing to you in the box then I’d hazard a guess and say that they don’t rate you at all.

Do you think Bruno and Cunha wouldn’t be finding Kane or Mbappe in the exact same scenario?

Hojlund is crap. He’s not good enough at the top level.

 

[TallReed]

Sheep bleating in here who haven't even watched highlights let alone the full 90 it seems.

More promising from him in a pre-season win against PL opposition, some good runs in behind and lay up play, should've done better with that chance in the box he got.

Hopefully he can kick on and bag a couple of goals in the run up to the season starting as I think it'll do his confidence a world of good - especially if they come against Bounemouth/Everton.

Good luck Razmattaz!

 

[AndySmith1990]

Sheep bleating in here who haven't even watched highlights let alone the full 90 it seems.

More promising from him in a pre-season win against PL opposition, some good runs in behind and lay up play, should've done better with that chance in the box he got.

Hopefully he can kick on and bag a couple of goals in the run up to the season starting as I think it'll do his confidence a world of good - especially if they come against Bounemouth/Everton.

Good luck Razmattaz!

I watched it and he was no different to last season

 

[Big Ron’s Coat]

If your a striker and your teammates are not passing to you in the box then I’d hazard a guess and say that they don’t rate you at all.

Do you think Bruno and Cunha wouldn’t be finding Kane or Mbappe in the exact same scenario?

Hojlund is crap. He’s not good enough at the top level.

That’s not what @V.O. said though. Bruno and Cunha looked for him on numerous occasions but got the weight of their passes wrong. Perhaps you should watch the match or at the very least take time to read posts from those who actually did before replying.

 

[bosnian_red]

Come on. He fluffed one chance and lost out on a couple of duels but overall it was a decent performance. He won most of his duels and didn’t give the ball away. Give the lad a break.

No i genuinely thought at the beginning that was a bright moment, but then he did only 1 other decent moment for the rest of the 1st half with the rest being typical Hojlund looking out of sync with the rest of the team. I'm just saying it how I see it, not like he'll be reading this and I don't get personal with it ... I just judge our players based on what level they need to play at this club. Having him in the team is just a big issue unless he starts playing a completely different level to now.

 

[bosnian_red]

Is this a way to blame him for the 3-4 times he made a good run and Bruno/Cunha twatted the ball past him like they were taking a shot?

Only watched 1st half. Moments I'm thinking of is right before Hojlund skied his big chance, he first played a really bad pass instead of a simpler pass to Bruno, then it fell back to him, again he ignored Bruno who was the better chance and he skied the shot. Or when Cunha went for a clear give and go but Hojlund didn't realize it and ran into the defender (Cunha then picked the ball off the defender and ran into the box). Or dealing with long balls into him that just bounced off his foot to a West ham defender again like last season.

He's just not a good striker.

 

[Gaidal]

So many seem to want us to play Cunha/Mbuemo as a striker, paying 60+ million to play them in a position they aren't great in is a bad idea. Also neither of them seems like a back to the goal player.

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

Thought he looked decent.

The final ball to him was again so poor. I don’t know what happens to this team. We knock it about OK but that final pass to the 9 is so often over or under hit.

Yeah I remember at least 3 through balls which were all over hit and should have been played into his path.

It’s good to see us finally trying to find him when he makes those runs though.

 

[TallReed]

I watched it and he was no different to last season

Jokes on you, at the very least he hit the post and had facial hair.

 

[Superunknown]

He doesn't look like he's going anywhere in this window, so our only hope is that our coaches earn their crust with the work that they do with him and that he turns it around. Amorim has to manage him and has to improve his all-round game. Most importantly, he has to score goals. He can't be going 20-odd games without a goal this season or anything of that sort. He should be looking at a minimum of 15 league goals as a target. He will be judged on goals and this is where he has to improve.

No excuses for him this season. It'll be his third season in England, so it'll be time to start delivering and living up to his promise.

 

[Big Ron’s Coat]

No i genuinely thought at the beginning that was a bright moment, but then he did only 1 other decent moment for the rest of the 1st half with the rest being typical Hojlund looking out of sync with the rest of the team. I'm just saying it how I see it, not like he'll be reading this and I don't get personal with it ... I just judge our players based on what level they need to play at this club. Having him in the team is just a big issue unless he starts playing a completely different level to now.

He made some great diagonal runs and a few in behind only for the passes to let him down or come a moment too late resulting in an offside flag. I get that it’s hard to be objective with him at this point but I think many are judging him through the lens of last season. Cunha for example took a couple of daft shots and both Bruno and Mainoo skied efforts over the bar but it’s different when Rasmus does it.

Not saying I disagree that we need better but for a young lad who was thrown out there every match in an underperforming team for an underperforming manager last season I think he deserves a bit of slack. We can only hope he improves at this point which is very possible as he certainly wasn’t as bad under Ten Hag.

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

And from what I have seen from his time at Atalanta that is exactly how he played, often running the channels and cutting inside.

I am not sure he was ever a point man and yet we're trying to make him to do that

Yep, this has been my stance on him from the start, we’re trying to use him wrong. Should be sliding balls through for him to run onto not be holding the ball up.

For that he’s the wrong player.

 

[LukeChadwick36]

Some of you lot should be ashamed of yourselves. We all know your opinions, you don’t need to keep repeating them as nauseam. This is well into bullying territory, and the same treatment Maguire got. You talk about a pressurized environment hindering his development - wonder where that comes from.

I cant understand why people are being so hard on him for performance.

Its pre-season, and I thought he looked lively,

Hit the post, few good runs but bruno and cunha tried stupid outside of the boot passes.

One he did sky, fair enough. Expect him to do better.

We have a long season for this lot to ruin our weekends, pre season isnt worth getting annoyed about.

 

[SoCross]

The world isn’t ready for Bearded Hojlund.

You could be onto something. Bearded Hjolund would look a mean bastard, take on all comers! Defenders would be scared of him even before they set foot onto the pitch.

 

[Shane88]

You could be onto something. Bearded Hjolund would look a mean bastard, take on all comers! Defenders would be scared of him even before they set foot onto the pitch.

Then they'd remember; "I've bullied this guy repeatedly, beard or not."

Has he ever displayed subtlety with his finishing? All he does is smash everything. The chance in the first minute, try to keep it low with a side footed finish. He hit and hope.

 

[Rockets Redglare]

Then they'd remember; "I've bullied this guy repeatedly, beard or not."

Has he ever displayed subtlety with his finishing? All he does is smash everything. The chance in the first minute, try to keep it low with a side footed finish. He hit and hope.

In his first season he scored quite a few deft finishes, it’s all down to confidence.