The Danish frontman has been handed an iconic jersey ahead of the new season, and there will be no hiding place if he doesn't deliver
"He is a real frontman. Very direct to the goal, very good presser, a physical presence. That is all in his mind: he wants to score goals," Erik ten Hag said after Rasmus Hojlund completed a £75 million ($96m) move to Manchester United from Atalanta last summer. "I think he has huge potential. The team was waiting for a type like him. They will integrate him in the dressing room and in the pitch; they will help him. Finally, the player has to prove it."
Hojlund finished his first season at Old Trafford as United's joint-top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions, a respectable total considering he missed a total of 11 games due to injury. He also became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six consecutive games, and got his hands on the first major trophy of his fledging career in the form of the FA Cup.
United have rewarded the Denmark international by upgrading his shirt number from 11 to 9, after allowing the previous occupant of the jersey, Anthony Martial, to depart as a free agent, with the caption "ready to lead the line" included on the club's social post announcing the news. But has Hojlund really proven that he is ready for this responsibility?
Although there have been some encouraging signs, the 21-year-old looks a long way off being the finished article, and certainly hasn't done enough to justify his eye-watering price tag. United's vote of confidence will only increase the pressure on his shoulders, too, especially with expectations rising once again under the new INEOS ownership regime.
The Red Devils have to start the 2024-25 campaign with a bang, and so does Hojlund. If not, there is a very real danger he could follow the same path as Martial, who also made a promising start to life in Manchester before gradually fading into obscurity.
Getty Images'Needs time'
Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford carrying a back problem, which saw his debut pushed back to September 23. He came off the bench in a 3-1 away defeat to Arsenal, and was the biggest positive for United as he held the ball up well and injected some real urgency into their attack. But it would turn out to be a false dawn.
The former Atalanta man failed to score in any of his next 14 Premier League appearances, which led to reports that some United players were reluctant to pass to him. Hojlund rubbished those claims, but there was no denying the fact the Red Devils lacked a cutting edge in the first half of the season, and that had a lot to do with his poor finishing.
The Champions League would become a sanctuary for Hojlund during that frustrating period, as he scored five goals in the group stage – albeit while ultimately being unable to prevent United suffering a humiliating early exit – but four of them came against Copenhagen and Galatasaray. Hojlund looked like a fish out of water against top Premier League opposition, and heading into the festive period there must have been a lot of worried faces in the United boardroom given their huge investment in his talent.
To Hojlund's credit, though, he never let his head drop. And publicly, Ten Hag always stood by him. “We bought a player for this season but also for the future," said the Dutch head coach. "He has to develop. He has to progress. He needs time.”
AdvertisementGettyMisleading resurgence
Hojlund also became a figure of ridicule on social media, after his 'lookalike' Sean Mills – an Australian singer – sent a series of motivational videos to the United forward, incorporating his popular song 'Waiting on a Miracle'. That single, which rival fans shared after every game that saw Hojlund extend his barren run, went to No.1 in the UK viral chart on December 23.
But just three days later, Hojlund had the last laugh. The 'miracle' finally arrived, as the Dane volleyed home a superb late goal against Aston Villa to seal a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory for United.
The floodgates opened thereafter, with Hojlund finding the net six times in his next five Premier League outings, including a poacher's brace against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road. "Let me say thanks to my team-mates and the coach because they have shown me great confidence and kept believing in me," he said after the game. "I knew as well that I could score goals but of course, it was annoying I didn't score in the Premier League. Now, I want to keep going."
Unfortunately, a muscle injury then stopped Hojlund in his tracks. He sat out United's next three games, and when he returned in a 1-1 draw against Brentford on March 30, that ruthless streak disappeared again.
Hojlund scored just once in his next eight appearances, prompting Ten Hag to drop him to the bench. United finished their Premier League campaign with wins over Newcastle and Brighton, and Hojlund was among the scorers in both games after coming on as a second-half substitute, but tellingly, Ten Hag decided to play without a centre-forward again in the FA Cup final.
The Red Devils produced their best performance of the entire season in the Wembley showpiece to upset arch rivals Manchester City, but Hojlund had to make do with a late cameo. Actions speak louder than words, and if Ten Hag had complete trust in the youngster, there is no way he'd have left him out of his line up for such an important fixture.
GettyWeight of history
Hojlund will have to make the most of every minute he gets in the coming season, because the spotlight will be shining more brightly on him than ever before. The United No.9 comes with the weight of history, because it was once worn by the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton, treble-winner Andy Cole and the brilliant Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov.
In the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, only one man has proven to be worthy of the shirt: a certain Swede named Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who fired 27 goals in his first season despite being 34 years of age. Radamel Falcao and Romelu Lukaku were major flops, and although Martial spent nine years at Old Trafford, he never really came close to fulfilling his potential.
Martial's body couldn't hold up to the physical demands of the Premier League, especially towards the end of his time with the Red Devils, and he never felt like a natural fit in a central striker role. The same could be said of Hojlund right now.
The Danish ace should look at Martial's United career as a cautionary tale. The Frenchman didn't put in the work necessary to succeed at one of the world's biggest clubs. With each passing year it became clearer he wasn't up to the task, and it showed in his general demeanour.
There is still plenty of hope for Hojlund, and he seems to be far more dedicated than Martial when it comes to trying to improve his game, but 10 Premier League goals won't be enough in 2024-25. United need him to record at least double that amount, if they are to have any realistic hope of getting back into the Champions League. He's had his settling in period; now it's time to deliver.
Manchester UnitedRuud's new student
Hojlund's chances of defying his doubters have been boosted by Ruud van Nistelrooy's return to Old Trafford. The former Dutch marksman, who scored 95 goals in 150 appearances for United between 2001 and 2006, has signed on as Ten Hag's new assistant, with Rene Heke and Andreas Georgson also joining the coaching staff.
If anyone can transform Hojlund into a ruthless goal machine, it's Van Nistelrooy. The Oranje legend was the ultimate fox in the box, as evidenced by the fact only one of his goals for United came from outside the penalty area, and he will be surely be able to pass on plenty of wisdom.
"I love a certain way of playing. At Manchester United, Sir Alex was always pushing us forward," Van Nistelrooy recently told . "Look forward, play forward, get crosses in, shoot on target. As a player, I loved the way that made me feel. I wanted to play like that, and I want to transmit that same feeling to my teams, to my players."
In fairness to Hojlund, he was starved of quality service last season, as the likes of Marcus Rashford, Antony and Casemiro all wasted possession far too frequently and failed to pick out the Dane's intelligent runs in behind. With Van Nistelrooy hammering home his preferred style of play, that should change.