[Zico1982]

Rasmus did well last night. Great goal, some good runs and hold up play. He looks sharper again, but also some sloppy passing that cost us two or three times in good counter attacks. Amad actually hit his shin at the 3-1 goal but that is Amads goal all day. For me Højlund was a 7 against Bournemouth. He is beginning to gain confidence again.

Comparisons to Sesko. They are actually more alike than many in here wants them to be. Big, strong and fast. Sesko is better in the air and Rasmus is faster. Both are not consistant yet. Sesko had a 13 goal season in the Bundesliga for Leipzig in a functioning team in a two striker system with Openda next to him. That is comparable to Højlunds first season at United with 10 goals in a tougher league and much less service. Both can press well and both are at their best running into space front against goal. Sesko thrives in a two striker system, but can he do it as a lone 9 in a new league? As talented as he is. That is a question. A 75 million euro + add ons questions.

Don´t get me wrong. I really like Sesko, and we do need a striker. I really don´t like the price tag though. I think we can spend 75 million euro more wisely.

 

[dutchred]

Agree with Zico 1982. With a new midfield I would pect to create more chances, so let's see what Rasmus can do and try to get a cheap experienced CF.

 

[Tallis]

It will be a pity if he sell him.

He had a decent first season (not great I know).

And then had a shocking season season in a struggling team which was in transition with most of our attacking players either banished (Rashford, Antony, Sancho) or with injury issues (Mount, Amad).

 

[CannibalSpectre]

Apparently according to who?

I'm not a Hojlund fan. I don't think he's anywhere near good enough and should be sold, but this just sounds like needless hate if someone genuinely said that.

James Ducker reported that Hojlund asked if anyone would like to speak to him

 

[Gandalf]

James Ducker reported that Hojlund asked if anyone would like to speak to him

The interview footage makes clear that multiple people did, I think he was probably encouraged to go into the media zone by the club and being a polite lad just asked who wanted to talk to him. He comes off very well and his English, and Manchester accent, is superb.

 

[1988]

With some confidence I could see him scoring 15 goals in the league for us.

 

[Shark]

It will be a pity if he sell him.

He had a decent first season (not great I know).

And then had a shocking season season in a struggling team which was in transition with most of our attacking players either banished (Rashford, Antony, Sancho) or with injury issues (Mount, Amad).

By far the worst season I've ever seen a United CF have at this club. No contest really. You can't really come back from that despite maybe some mitigating factors.

 

[CannibalSpectre]

The interview footage makes clear that multiple people did, I think he was probably encouraged to go into the media zone by the club and being a polite lad just asked who wanted to talk to him. He comes off very well and his English, and Manchester accent, is superb.

Yes he speaks very good English. He's Scandinavian so it hardly comes as a surprise. Schmichel sounded Mancunian pretty early in his United career. Dorgu speaks great English as well

 

[Steve 007]

You’re seriously twisting what Antony said there about an extremely difficult time in his personal life.

Not sure that’s 100% accurate pretty sure he said this:

“I didn’t feel that desire to play football, and I needed to find myself and be happy again because playing football was always something I loved.

“I went through difficult times [at Manchester United] when I no longer felt that pleasure. I even told my brother that I couldn’t take it any more.”

 

[Steve 007]

Onana? Got pelters on here for wanting to stay when we say isn't good enough. Likes of lindelof, shaw all players we wanted to move on as fans but got grief on here for not leaving

I think Onana plays in too much of an important position. He didn’t cover himself in glory by slaggin off Lyon, then let Matic get to him followed by that performance.

He’s had a few absolute shockers in fairness, the rest you mention don’t bother me.

 

[sunama]

With some confidence I could see him scoring 15 goals in the league for us.

He has been one of the worst strikers we have had in the last few years.
I can't see how he goes from being one of the worst, to above average (15 league goals).

 

[AndySmith1990]

With some confidence I could see him scoring 15 goals in the league for us.

Love how his glaring weaknesses are ignored and some people convince themselves it's as simple as gaining confidence

 

[Lu Tze]

He has been one of the worst strikers we have had in the last few years.
I can't see how he goes from being one of the worst, to above average (15 league goals).

He got 10 in 30 in his first season. It is absolutely conceivable that with a fair wind he could hit 15.

 

[jymufc20]

Love how his glaring weaknesses are ignored and some people convince themselves it's as simple as gaining confidence

Yeah, it's not going to happen, people need to wake up and realise he is shite and is never going to make it here. This was always going to happen after scoring a goal (people defending him) but the fact is, he has had enough chances and we desperately need to move on, his all around game is terrible and nothing short of a miracle will change my mind.

 

[Bastian]

I like his attitude. These quotes are good. He was better last night, some ropey touches and sloppy passes, but he was still a lot better. I also think a lot of it is down to confidence. In any case, selling him now makes no sense. A loan could be the best thing for him, but after reading these quotes, I guess he's highly motivated to stay and fight.

 

[UnitedSofa]

Where did Hojlund’s danish accent go?! (Wasn’t quite sure where to post this please don’t tell me off!)

 

[Lennon7]

I like his attitude. These quotes are good. He was better last night, some ropey touches and sloppy passes, but he was still a lot better. I also think a lot of it is down to confidence. In any case, selling him now makes no sense. A loan could be the best thing for him, but after reading these quotes, I guess he's highly motivated to stay and fight.

In all seriousness, when has a loan ever worked out for us? When have we sent a struggling senior player on loan for them to light it up, then return to us and be excellent too?

It’s very uncommon - the only reason we’d send a player on loan is to remove the wages from the book

 

[Bastian]

In all seriousness, when has a loan ever worked out for us? When have we sent a struggling senior player on loan for them to light it up, then return to us and be excellent too?

It’s very uncommon - the only reason we’d send a player on loan is to remove the wages from the book

I'm not sure that's the best way to look at it. We've let go of Les Parry (loan manager) and installed Jonny Evans, likely with one or two other members of staff involved as well. Along with the medical department, it's one of the most obvious things we've gotten horribly wrong in recent years. So I don't look at our recent record with regards to that as some sort of baseline in perpetuity.

There are good European clubs (Germany, Portugal, Netherlands) where he could genuinely be first choice in a team that plays good football. And I'd much rather we go down that sort of route than a) selling him on the cheap b) loaning him to a big club with an option to buy, where he might not play at all and the option is relatively low.

 

[Gandalf]

Love how his glaring weaknesses are ignored and some people convince themselves it's as simple as gaining confidence

No different than his detractors essentially ignoring any improvements in his game because they have made up their minds and won't believe young players can develop. Truth as always is somewhere in the middle but if Amorim decides to keep him around even after signing another striker then we have to back his judgement and hope he is right.

 

[CannibalSpectre]

Love how his glaring weaknesses are ignored and some people convince themselves it's as simple as gaining confidence

Agreed. A lot of the fan base have a strong emotional attachment to him and thus mostly ignore his shortcomings or hope he'll somehow magically overcome them. He's 22 and talked about like he's 17 and still in early stages of development with added confidence issues and teammates who won't pass the ball to him.

Hojlund himself drew attention to his age in his latest interview and that angle will be milked even more in the argument about giving him more time. I simply don't see it with him at this level

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Not sure that’s 100% accurate pretty sure he said this:

“I didn’t feel that desire to play football, and I needed to find myself and be happy again because playing football was always something I loved.

“I went through difficult times [at Manchester United] when I no longer felt that pleasure. I even told my brother that I couldn’t take it any more.”

I needed to find myself, because of everything I went through in my personal life. I wasn't happy, I didn't feel that desire to play football. Only I know what it was like to be at home, not having the strength to even play with my son, going days without eating, staying locked in my room.​

Falsely accused of rape in a blackmail attempt, had no desire to even come out of his room to play with his son due to it.

Stop twisting it as though it was a United thing and leaving out the all important context of his quite frankly, awful personal life situation, accused of rape, being blackmailed and put on leave by his club.

 

[Donut]

Does he have this great acceleration that people have gone on about? I’ve barely seen anything like it on the pitch because his movement and positioning is so poor that he’s always starting on the back foot and easily outdone by defenders
It doesn’t translate to any ball carrying ability either.

Nice lad, good attitude but he’s had two years here now and he’s not up to being a top level striker for this club

Agreed, he’s not quick of the mark at all, but if there’s a 40 meter sprint he’ll usually be first to it.

 

[AndySmith1990]

No different than his detractors essentially ignoring any improvements in his game because they have made up their minds and won't believe young players can develop. Truth as always is somewhere in the middle but if Amorim decides to keep him around even after signing another striker then we have to back his judgement and hope he is right.

It's easy to ignore what doesn't exist. He's been abysmal, and so even the most basic things get pointed out in here as if he's achieved something special. The lower the bar drops, the less a player has to do to impress some people.

 

[Steve 007]

I needed to find myself, because of everything I went through in my personal life. I wasn't happy, I didn't feel that desire to play football. Only I know what it was like to be at home, not having the strength to even play with my son, going days without eating, staying locked in my room.​

Falsely accused of rape in a blackmail attempt, had no desire to even come out of his room to play with his son due to it.

Stop twisting it as though it was a United thing and leaving out the all important context of his quite frankly, awful personal life situation, accused of rape, being blackmailed and put on leave by his club.

What? Where is the evidence he was ever blackmailed and falsely accused of rape? He accused of Headbutting his ex partner in a Manchester hotel. That’s why he was put on leave.

 

[Shark]

No different than his detractors essentially ignoring any improvements in his game because they have made up their minds and won't believe young players can develop. Truth as always is somewhere in the middle but if Amorim decides to keep him around even after signing another striker then we have to back his judgement and hope he is right.

It's pre-season. Improvement would be measured when the season actually starts, no? He scored against Arsenal during the last one if I remember correctly.

 

[Precaution]

Well this explains everything - for real, looks like Hoijund

 

[TallReed]

It's easy to ignore what doesn't exist. He's been abysmal, and so even the most basic things get pointed out in here as if he's achieved something special. The lower the bar drops, the less a player has to do to impress some people.

I'm putting my neck out here for a ban as its (I count) 10~ times in a 7 page thread where you as a user have just opened with statements such as abysmal or rubbish etc. or just with blatant negativity for the sake of negativity, your opinion is valid of course, whether it is tired or entirely negative for the sake is up for debate but I have to ask; are you OK?

The kid is coming off the back of a personally terrible season for the "worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United" - Amorim 2025.

If all you have to meaningfully contribute is one-liners sentences without any discourse or rhetoric about him I'd advise the following; get a grip and post in another thread, we heard you the first time.

Maybe Højlund isn''t the answer, but who exactly is at this point?

*Actual intended post before venting*

Great to see him bag against Bournemouth, more of this please - Beard ahøj, goals ahøj.

If we sign another striker, amazing. If not, hopefully he can take this form, or at very least some confidence from two better performance against EPL opponents into the new season. It's promising stuff but he has a lot to live up for on the back of last year if he wants to stick around long term - would love him to have a standout season.

 

[Danny]

The potential in him was clear during his first season- his touch seemed fairly consistent and his running power was strong. Clearly a confidence player and I think with Mbuemo and Cunha in and around the box for him to make runs off will benefit him no end. Hopefully another striking option arrives and that can help him too

I like his attitude. These quotes are good. He was better last night, some ropey touches and sloppy passes, but he was still a lot better. I also think a lot of it is down to confidence. In any case, selling him now makes no sense. A loan could be the best thing for him, but after reading these quotes, I guess he's highly motivated to stay and fight.

 

[Amarsdd]

Well this explains everything - for real, looks like Hoijund

Thats Jerma, not an AI compilation of every serial killer into one man

 

[Amarsdd]

It's easy to ignore what doesn't exist. He's been abysmal, and so even the most basic things get pointed out in here as if he's achieved something special. The lower the bar drops, the less a player has to do to impress some people.

You're basically proving the poster's point there!
No one is saying he's a great striker, not even a good one at the moment given the last season. But some posters refusing to give any bit of credit and only focusing on constant negativity in regards to him is pretty bang on the money.

 

[Reiver]

Last season was abysmal no doubt. Can he turn it around? No idea. All I can say is that in the 2 pre season friendlies I've watched is that he looks better.

 

[Glorio]

Played really well versus Bournemouth. You're not going to win every battle against prem CBs but he won a good few and gave them problems throughout.

His passing though - tragic

 

[Gandalf]

It's easy to ignore what doesn't exist. He's been abysmal, and so even the most basic things get pointed out in here as if he's achieved something special. The lower the bar drops, the less a player has to do to impress some people.

Nobody is denying he was abysmal last season but frankly it is dishonest to state he has not looked a lot better in these last two games and it betrays a clear agenda to say otherwise. I don't deny that it is a tiny sample size and would need to be sustained and built on over an extended period to begin to truly change the perception of him but obviously the club still thinks he can make the breakthrough and I am not going to refuse to acknowledge the evidence of my own eyes just because he was shit last season.

It's pre-season. Improvement would be measured when the season actually starts, no? He scored against Arsenal during the last one if I remember correctly.

Sure, pre season is meaningless in the greater scheme of things but if we are not able to acknowldge the good or bad performances then we might as well mothball the forum during the summer. Yes, he scored against Arsenal last pre season, it was the only game he figured in as he picked up an injury 15 minutes into the match and did not return until September meaning that he effectively had no pre season. It is interesting to see what happens here because despite this being his third season he has yet to actually have any pre season with the club and so this is the first time he has ever had an extended period working with the coaches on his game and not just rehabbing between games coming every 3 or 4 days. Like all of the squad he is finally getting a chance to properly be integrated into Ruben's system with time to work on specific aspects of his technique such as movement and passing, both of which have looked improved in the last two games. It means nothing if he can't do it in the Premier League but I will take all the encouragement I can get after the shitshow of last season and Rasmus becoming a decent rotational option for the number 9 role would be a bit of an unexpected bonus. His form from last year means the leash needs to be short, he has little credit in the bank and this is very much last chance saloon stuff for him but at least he is showing a bit of fight and desire and not shrinking from the moment like so many have in recent seasons.

 

[Marwood]

He has been one of the worst strikers we have had in the last few years.
I can't see how he goes from being one of the worst, to above average (15 league goals).

He's also probably the youngest starting No.9 we've had in the modern era. That has to be taken into account.

To be thrown up top at 20 for a huge club is full on silly.

Reality is most strikers don't scoreoals at that age. Not at the Prem League level or equivalent. (Somebody will now go back 30 years to Fowler and Owen). So it wouldn't be all that crazy for a striker to go from scoring few as a young lad to 15 as a player coming of age.

His touch and passing worry me a bit but the lack of goals isn't all that surprising for a lad his age.

However this season it has to happen for him. At 22 - 23 the goals have to start happening.

 

[Marwood]

I needed to find myself, because of everything I went through in my personal life. I wasn't happy, I didn't feel that desire to play football. Only I know what it was like to be at home, not having the strength to even play with my son, going days without eating, staying locked in my room.​

Falsely accused of rape in a blackmail attempt, had no desire to even come out of his room to play with his son due to it.

Stop twisting it as though it was a United thing and leaving out the all important context of his quite frankly, awful personal life situation, accused of rape, being blackmailed and put on leave by his club.

Handy for him all that personal stuff holding him back from performing disappeared the second he went to Betis.

 

[QMaster]

A good chunk of how tragic he was last season was likely down to factors beyond his control as well. His very untimely injury, the managerial and subsequently system change, no real reliable source of supply apart from Bruno. Basically whatever could go wrong, did go wrong for him.

I'm eager to see how it goes for him this season but really can't see the attributes which would suggest that he can lead the line for us long term. That has to be someone else. He's a perfectly good second choice striker.

How is someone who scored 4 league goals in over 30 appearances a perfectly good second striker? If he couldn't score starting that many games, what makes people think he's a good option off the bench to come in and bag a goal?

 

[Beagle]

He will get better but he can’t be the main goal scorer. By relying on him as first choice striker it is harming him as well. He would be so much better off working off of an experienced player.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

What? Where is the evidence he was ever blackmailed and falsely accused of rape? He accused of Headbutting his ex partner in a Manchester hotel. That’s why he was put on leave.

Sorry, he was accused of several accounts of domestic abuse, one after his partner claimed he headbutted her after she refused to have sex with him.

That got him put on leave and removed from the Brazil squad.

That is what he is talking about when he refers to his personal life meaning he didn’t even want to come out of his room, and certainly wasn’t interested in playing football.

 

[Schmeichels pinky]

It's easy to ignore what doesn't exist. He's been abysmal, and so even the most basic things get pointed out in here as if he's achieved something special. The lower the bar drops, the less a player has to do to impress some people.

The interesting thing is you don’t even bother to engage in actual discussion. There are loads of long and detailed posts about him, both weaknesses and strengths, circumstances and his quite unusual career trajectory - some of them also address the criticism of him - but you never respond to the actual arguments. Why do you even post here? The club doesn’t make decisions based on this forum, I hope, and you’re evidently not interested in meaningful debate.

 

[QMaster]

The interesting thing is you don’t even bother to engage in actual discussion. There are loads of long and detailed posts about him, both weaknesses and strengths, circumstances and his quite unusual career trajectory - some of them also address the criticism of him - but you never respond to the actual arguments. Why do you even post here? The club doesn’t make decisions based on this forum, I hope, and you’re evidently not interested in meaningful debate.

To be quite fair, why should he? Its the same old excuses for his short comings with nothing of substance to back it up....

'Theres a player in there, he needs confidence, he needs service, he's been thrown to the wolves' etc.

It's the same old stuff and even now after 4 goals in over 30 league games as the lone striker this stuff is still offered up as excuses.

The standards of the club have dramatically slipped when fans are happy and backing this guy as a 15 goal plus striker when he's literally done nothing to justify that sort of false hope.