Published February 5, 2025 9:39am Updated February 5, 2025 9:39am
Manchester United fable Peter Schmeichel has leapt to the defence of Rasmus Hojlund and insisted Ruben Amorim is not playing to the striker’s strengths.
Hojlund is connected a tally of 13 games without a goal, past hitting the backmost of the nett successful the Europa League triumph implicit Viktoria Plzen successful December.
Both helium and chap striker Joshua Zirkzee person failed to people successful 2025 with Amorim making the determination to seat some players successful Sunday’s decision to Crystal Palace, alternatively playing Kobbie Mainoo successful a mendacious 9 role.
The experimentation was a damning indictment of the concern astatine Old Trafford, with Hojlund and Zirkzee, who combined outgo implicit £100million, the manager’s lone options up for the remainder of the season.
Former United skipper Gary Neville has suggested Amorim ‘may not like’ Hojlund starring his attack with United apt to absorption connected signing a caller centre guardant this summertime with Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres among their targets.
But Schmeichel has backed the ‘fantastic’ Denmark planetary to beryllium cardinal to immoderate occurrence United person going forward.
‘Manchester United don’t play the mode you should play erstwhile you person a feline similar Hojlund,’ the erstwhile goalkeeper told Tipsbladet.
‘It’s been hard for him, and I deliberation he’s doing fantastically.
‘He ne'er gives up, helium fights, and helium doesn’t fto it get to him. For me, there’s nary uncertainty that he’s the future, and for me, there’s nary uncertainty that he’s portion of the forward-looking project.
‘What has happened this year, helium volition larn a batch from. This besides applies to galore different players astatine Manchester United – that it is simply a learning period.’
Hojlund, a £72million signing from Atalanta, scored a precise respectable 16 goals successful his archetypal play successful English football, 10 of those coming successful 25 Premier League starts.
The 22-year-old has scored conscionable doubly successful the league this term, nevertheless with the immense bulk of his extremity contributions coming successful the Europa League.
While Schmeichel is convinced Hojlund volition inactive person a large relation to play astatine United, Premier League fable Alan Shearer has suggested the Dane whitethorn present beryllium considering his future aft being dropped astatine the weekend.
‘Ruben Amorim opted for Mainoo successful the mendacious 9 presumption against Crystal Palace astatine the play and I ideate Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee volition beryllium feeling precise flat,’ Shearer told Betfair.
‘They’ll beryllium reasoning whether they really beryllium oregon privation to beryllium astatine the shot nine erstwhile you’ve got the caller manager playing a midfielder arsenic a mendacious 9 up of centre-forwards.
‘Hojlund and Zirkzee volition beryllium feeling precise level and there’ll beryllium a batch of thoughts going done their minds astir whether they privation to beryllium determination and whether Amorim really rates them oregon wants them. Clearly, helium doesn’t due to the fact that helium needs results, which helium isn’t getting, and he’s not playing either forward.
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