Ruud van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes agree on 'disappointing' Man Utd performer vs PAOK

Manchester United ended their 13-month winless streak successful Europe by beating PAOK 2-0 astatine Old Trafford connected Thursday night, but Rasmus Hojlund didn't marque an interaction up front

Rasmus Hojlund has been called retired for putting successful a disappointing show successful Manchester United’s triumph implicit PAOK successful the Europa League.

United picked up their archetypal triumph successful Europe for 380 days thanks to a second-half brace from Amad. But it was acold from a convincing triumph implicit the Greek champions, who spurned a superb accidental to equalise erstwhile lone 1-0 down.

Amad opened the scoring with a looping header from Bruno Fernandes’ back-post transverse 5 minutes into the 2nd half. The United winger doubled his tally by pinching backmost possession and curling into the bottommost country via a flimsy deflection.

He was the stand-out performer for United, who were different reasonably flat. Hojlund touched the shot conscionable 10 times successful a drab archetypal fractional and struggled to marque an interaction starring the enactment successful betwixt Amad and Alejandro Garnacho and successful beforehand of Fernandes.

Former United midfielder Paul Scholes praised Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte for their coagulated concern which freed Fernandes up. But helium was captious of Hojlund’s performance, feeling helium did small to occupation the PAOK backline.

“There was a small spell aft Manchester United scored that PAOK looked a small unsafe but it was good controlled for the astir part,” helium said connected TNT Sports. “I was a small disappointed successful Rasmus Hojlund. I deliberation helium volition amended and get amended erstwhile helium is coached by a manager that believes successful him. I'm not saying Ruud [van Nistelrooy] doesn't judge successful him.”

Scholes was past joined by his erstwhile United team-mate – and the club’s existent interim manager – to analyse the performance. The 2 discussed Fernandes’ presumption successful the No.10 abstraction and however important it is for Hojlund to make a link-up with the United captain.

“I deliberation that’s cardinal for Rasmus – you request partnerships successful the team, you request to get adjacent to him,” Scholes explained. “I deliberation helium had a small spot of a hard night, it wasn’t his champion night, but arsenic you say, they had that spot wherever Bruno turns, he’s successful the abstraction and Rasmus makes that run. He tin bash that but it didn’t hap capable contiguous for him.”

Van Nistelrooy replied: “It didn’t hap enough. Second half, we were amended successful positions but besides immoderate crosses successful the container wherever helium makes runs didn’t travel astatine the time.”

Hojlund has conscionable 2 goals successful 11 appearances this season, aft missing the commencement of the run with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Joshua Zirkzee successful the 90th infinitesimal connected Thursday night, but the Dutchman is struggling adjacent much than him, having failed to people since the opening crippled of the play against Fulham.

Hojlund reacted to the triumph connected Instagram, writing: “No witty caption tonight. Just wanna convey you guys for proceeding those chants erstwhile we’re connected pitch. Never getting utilized to it and perfectly loving it. Congrats @amaddiallo19 u deserved it!”

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