FANS of Manchester United have leapt to Rasmus Hojlund’s defence after a horror stat about the striker emerged on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Carragher took turns to analyse the fortunes of the attacker, and opened with a damning statistic that places Hojlund 100th in the Premier League for shots taken per 90 minutes.
"He's not the finished article just yet."@DanielSturridge on the potential of Rasmus Højlund
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 6, 2023pic.twitter.com/2RpFM28jXt
The United forward averages just 1.7 shots per 90 which is dwarfed by the attacker with the most shots, Darwin Nunez, with 5.7 per 90.
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge defended Hojlund, saying that his low shot volume is partly caused by his team’s struggles to make chances for him.
Sturridge also said the presence of Rashford on the left-wing for United limits the number of opportunities Hojlund receives because of his tendency to shoot often.
Hojlund ranks behind both Rashford and Bruno Fernandes for shots taken despite being the focal point of the team.
When presenter Dave Jones asked whether Hojlund needs to be more “ruthless” in front goal, Sturridge said: “He’s a project, and he’s not the perfect striker.
“He’s not the finished article just yet, so when he gets the opportunities he is trying very hard.
“He wants to score goals, he wants to be in the positions to score. He is desperate to show his capabilities at a club like Manchester United.
“Has he scored the goals that they would have expected him to? Would they have expected him to have more shots at least? I don’t think they are impressed with that.
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“But I don’t think he’s getting loads of chances per game that are clear misses.”
Fans were divided on how harsh the analysis was on Hojlund on X, formerly known as Twitter.
One fan wrote: “They basically cooking Hojlund on MNF”
Another posted: “Watching these Hojlund highlights on MNF. Seeing him run into so much space and he’s not being played the ball. Thank the lord Sturridge is pointing this out.”
Another wrote: “Sky Sports s**g off Hojlund but forget that he’s not getting any service.”
Hohlund has another chance to return to form on Wednesday when he plays former club FC Copenhagen, where he began his career.
