Wayne Rooney backs under-fire Rasmus Hojlund – and explains what the £72m Man United striker has been missing
Wayne Rooney has shown faith in Ramus Hojlund despite the Manchester United striker’s goal drought during a dismal season for his team.
The Denmark striker has not found the net in the Premier League since his strike in Man United’s 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest on December 7.
His last goals for the club came on December 12 against Viktoria Plzen when he netted a double.
Hojlund has often been one of the most criticised players in the Red Devils squad throughout a campaign that has been far from successful under Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim.
United are out of both domestic cups, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, following their defeats by Fulham and Tottenham respectively, and sit 14th place in the Premier League.
However, the Red Devils’ icon Rooney has displayed confidence in Hojlund’s ability in front of goal as the 39-year-old hinted that the Danish striker may not received the ‘service’ necessary to lead the team.
‘You know, a striker for Manchester United, when you’re not scoring goals, there’s a lot of pressure, a lot of people talking about you,’ he said on Match of the Day following the final whistle of Arsenal’s game on Sunday.
Wayne Rooney has publicly backed Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund
Ruben Amorim decided to leave the Denmark international on the bench against Arsenal
Hojlund was brought on in the 76th minute but managed to record only one shot
‘Can you do it for Manchester United? I think the best thing to do is simplify it and obviously making the runs into penalty boxes is as easy as it comes – you have to make them runs.
‘But simplifying the game, getting the ball, laying it off, getting in the box, getting the ball out wide, getting in the penalty box, putting yourself in the best position to score goals.
‘Nine times out of 10 you’re relying on your team-mates to give you chances and put the ball in the box or slide balls in behind.
‘Maybe he (Hojlund) hasn’t been doing that – he hasn’t been getting that service of late. But I’ve got faith in him.
‘I think he is a good player and he works hard. I think that’s really important as well. I think he just needs that goal and once he gets it, they’ll all start coming.’
Rooney’s comments came after Hojlund was dropped from the starting line-up for United’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Red Devils opened the lead through Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick goal in stoppage time of the first half, only for it to be cancelled out by Declan Rice in the 74th minute.
Joshua Zirkzee took Hojlund’s place as the No 9 – shifting from his role as one of the two No 10s.
Rooney hinted that Hojlund has not been getting the ‘service’ from his team-mates
Amorim insisted he benched the 22-year-old only for ‘freshness’ purposes
The 22-year-old made an appearance in the 76th minute yet failed to deliver a significant impact on the game, concluding it with only one shot easily blocked by Arsenal defenders in the late stages.
But Amorim insisted Hojlund’s form was not the reason why the striker was benched against the Gunners.
‘No, it’s freshness,’ the Portuguese said. ‘I think he was really fatigued at the end of the game. And we tried different things.’
Hojlund moved to Manchester in the summer of 2023 under ex-manager Ten Hag for £72million from Atalanta.
Although his first season was far from brilliant, the striker managed to find the back of the net 16 times in 43 appearances.
United now turn their attention to the Europa League. They host Real Sociedad at the last-16 stage on Thursday after last week’s home leg in Spain finished 1-1.
