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Ruben Amorim blamed the rest of the Manchester United team for Rasmus Hojlund’s goal drought as he said they had failed to create chances for the £72m striker.
Hojlund goes into Wednesday’s match against Ipswich without a goal in his last 16 games in all competitions and with only two in the Premier League all season, only one of them for Amorim.
But the 22-year-old has only had 16 shots in the top flight this season and, before the midweek matches, 143 other players had attempted more, including United defenders Lisandro Martinez and Diogo Dalot.
Amorim said: “I think it’s clear, we as a team aren’t helping Rasmus. We don’t create a lot of chances. We have a lack of threat and you can feel it in the games. Sometimes we are in the final third but you don’t feel like we are a very dangerous team and you feel it also when we’re defending low and sometimes the opponent is not afraid of transitions. So I have this feeling also as a coach that we are not helping the strikers.”
Amorim said Hojlund has showed his prowess as a finisher, adding: “I see it in training because we make exercises near the goal and he has the ability and he has already showed it here. It’s more of a team thing than a Rasmus thing. If we improve Rasmus will improve and I have that feeling.”
The United head coach believes Hojlund has the talent to improve but feels his decision-making has to be better.
Amorim added: “I think Rasmus has a lot of potential. If we improve the way we play the game he will have more opportunities to score. He came here very young and when you’re young to be the No 9 and play all the time, sometimes it’s hard. It’s everything together. The context. We have to look at Rasmus as a player – he has pace and he has the technique, he scores some goals that are really hard to score.
“Sometimes he didn’t choose the better run, sometimes he’s so anxious to touch the ball because he goes a lot of minutes without the ball and he moves away from the goal where he’s supposed to be, especially in the final third. We address that in training and sometimes it has to be the confidence of the player but especially the way we play.”
