When Manchester United completed signing Rasmus Hojlund a year ago, coach Erik ten Hag said that this young striker needed time to fully exploit his potential.
Man United invested a large sum of money in Hojlund, agreeing to Atalanta's fee of £72 million. The Red Devils have previously failed to convince Harry Kane, who joined Bayern Munich last summer.
Hojlund was just 20 years old at the time of his contract with Man United and could not make his debut until September last year due to injury. The Danish striker spent 15 games scoring his first Premier League goal. That was the decisive goal in the dramatic win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
In response to Hojlund's unstable form, many opinions said that some of his teammates at Man United did not want to pass the ball to him. However, the Danish international completely denied this.
In fact, Hojlund ended his first season at Man United as the team's top scorer. 16 goals in all competitions is an impressive achievement as the 21-year-old has to adapt to the new environment and playing style.
However, there will be no excuse for Hojlund's continued slow start to the season. Man United will open the 2024-2025 Premier League campaign with a home match against Fulham on August 16.
Time to stabilize and find a place has passed for Hojlund, who is under further pressure from rookie Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutch striker was brought in to compete with Hojlund with unmatched potential.
Hojlund has just gone through a forgettable EURO 2024 for the Danish team when he stopped in the round of 16 and did not score any goals. The 21-year-old striker had a few weeks off before returning to Man United and participating in a tour in the US.
Notably, Hojlund will wear the "number 9" shirt at Old Trafford after the departure of Anthony Martial. This move proves the club's confidence in Hojlund as the "Red Devils" struggle to regain their glory.
Last season, especially in the early stages, Hojlund lacked the support of wingers. Marcus Rashford, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho are all those who like to get past their opponents and score themselves, instead of crossing the ball into the penalty area for the striker.
That selfish style of play has partly created a slow start for the Norwegian striker. In many matches, Hojlund had many reasonable runs but ended up with a disappointing header.
However, it is undeniable that Hojlund himself missed many scoring opportunities. This is an problem that Ruud van Nistelrooy - Ten Hag's new assistant - needs to overcome in the coming season.
It is clear that Hojlund can go further, who showed enough promise last season to become a top scorer. It is time for Hojlund to stand up and prove that Ten Hag's trust in him is not wrong.
