Manchester United’s search for a new centre forward ultimately led them to Rasmus Hojlund this summer. The inflated £72m transfer fee paid for the 20-year-old represented the Old Trafford club’s sheer desperation. They needed someone to lead the line and Hojlund, in many ways, fit the bill.
Hojlund has made an impact at Manchester United, scoring his first goal for his new team against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last month, and notching two in Tuesday’s capitulation to Galatasaray at home. His physicality has given Erik ten Hag something different in the final third of the pitch. Hojlund has done as much as he can do as United have suffered from inconsistent form.
Without a midfield creator to serve as the supply line, though, Hojlund can only achieve so much. Manchester United are limiting their new £72m striker. The Danish international must be better harnessed by his team otherwise he will be written off as a flop by fans and experts who expect a lot of him.
Ten Hag has struggled to find the right balance in central midfield this season. The Dutchman has demonstrated a willingness to use Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount as a trio in this area of the pitch, but opponents have found it easy to expose them in moments of quick transition.
Fernandes is a reliable performer for Manchester United ever since joining from Sporting Lisbon three-and-a-half years ago. His statistics as a United player – 66 goals and 56 assists in 193 games – are extremely impressive. But Fernandes isn’t a true creator. He is a goal threat in his own right.
This was highlighted by Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United when Fernandes was seemingly unable to play his best with his compatriot in the same team. Before Ronaldo, Fernandes was expected to be a finisher of moves. After Ronaldo’s signing, though, he was expected to be a supplier. This shift didn’t work.
Mount has the potential to be a creator for Manchester United, but ten Hag has so far used the England international in a deeper position. Sofyan Amrabat was another midfield addition in the summer transfer window. However, the Moroccan is a combative operator in the centre of the pitch, not a creative force.
Scott McTominay remained at Old Trafford over the summer despite speculation about his future while Christian Eriksen no longer has the mobility to play every match for a high-energy, high-risk team like the one ten Hag is trying to build. His drop-off in the early part of this season has been substantial.
Despite widespread criticism of United’s midfield unit this season, ten Hag insists his team’s problems are not related. “It is not about the midfield, it is about the back and the front,” he said after the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. “That is why we were open. They didn’t run. They run in the wrong moments, too late – especially the front. They didn’t recover. It happened, you can’t turn it around. It’s a demand here [to run] if you want to win games.”
On the basis of their recent performances, Manchester United are a team lacking ideas right now. In the recent home defeat to Crystal Palace, the Old Trafford side repeatedly looked for Marcus Rashford in the hope the England international would produce something out of nothing. He was unable to do so.
Injuries have prevented ten Hag from achieving any sort of consistency in his team selections. Lisandro Martinez has undergone surgery this week and will be sidelined for a prolonged period with Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and new signing Sergio Reguilon also unavailable.
Antony was also stopped from training and playing following allegations of domestic abuse made against the Brazilian winger with Jadon Sancho still exiled after a dispute with ten Hag. The squad the Manchester United manager has had to work with over the last few weeks isn’t necessarily the squad he built.
Nonetheless, anyone who has watched United this season will have seen a team without an identity. Hojlund is already suffering from this, with the Dane often expected to fend for himself in the opposition penalty area without much in the way of service. He has looked dangerous, but he could be carrying an even greater threat.
