“Unmasking the Mystery: Is Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund a Victim of Winger Imbalance?”
Why has Rasmus Hojlund been so bad for Manchester United?
Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has a theory for why Rasmus Hojlund has struggled to score goals during his first four months at the club.
Hojlund has netted just five times in 20 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions since joining from Atalanta in August, while the 20-year-old has yet to score at all in his first 800 minutes in the Premier League.
But Meulensteen – who held various roles at Old Trafford between 2001 and 2013 – does not believe that Hojlund is entirely to blame for his lack of goals.
Speaking to talkSPORT after Hojlund drew a blank in United’s 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday, Meulensteen suggested that the Danish striker is set up to fail when he plays alongside wingers whose natural instincts are not to serve him.
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Rasmus Hojlund pictured during Manchester United’s 1-0 home defeat by Bayern Munich in December 2023
Rasmus Hojlund played the full 90 minutes against Bayern Munich but did not register a single shot IMAGO/Pro Sports Images/Nigel Keene
Reviewing Hojlund’s performance against Bayern, Meulensteen said: “I thought he was way short. Against those defenders, he never really got a kick.
“But the problem is he is flanked by two individual players who have no intention to give him any kind of service because they want to create things for themselves and not help any striker.
“So there’s an imbalance, and that imbalance is going forward but also the imbalance is going back in terms of the defensive shape, which we’ve seen in so many games.”
United’s wingers against Bayern were Antony and Alejandro Garnacho but Meulensteen’s point may also apply to Marcus Rashford, who has predominantly been deployed out wide this season.
