Rasmus Hojlund is a victim of unfair comparisons. A Nordic player joined the Premier League for £80 million and was immediately given the "Gunners' reward". It would be a waste to compare Hojlund with Erling Haaland, who broke a series of records in his first season in England.
Hojlund is not Haaland, Man United cannot be like Man City. The Danish striker has to play in a team that is going down in every aspect and without quality satellites. In contrast, Haaland was given the best conditions to explode soon at the Etihad.
The Danish player, since moving from Atalanta for €75 million, has played eight Premier League games without scoring or assisting.
2.73 is Hojlund's expected goals after 8 matches in the Premier League. And it is clear that not scoring any goals is a disappointment for both the striker and Man United.
Hojlund's failure to meet expectations comes from many different reasons. Against Fulham and Manchester City, Hojlund was not given any scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, his xG against Brentford (expected goals) was 0.06, against Brighton was 0.09 and against Crystal Palace was 0.22.
It is obvious that Hojlund will not be able to reach Haaland's number, as happened to Darwin Nunez last season. The Uruguayan was once seen as a rival to Haaland when he moved to the Premier League at the same time. Even Hojlund's starting point cannot be compared to the two names mentioned above.
Hojlund's statistics at Atalanta are unremarkable (10 goals in 38 games). Hojlund's scoring record was slightly better when he played for Sturm Graz before (12 goals in 21 matches). Therefore, it is impossible to demand that this striker be immediately successful in the Premier League.
Perhaps, Hojlund needs an adaptative season like Liverpool did with Nunez. First of all, Man United fans should understand that Hojlund cannot be Haaland and let the Danish striker develop normally. When the pressure is reduced, Hojlund's legs will also be more flexible.
Currently, the Champions League is the most ideal arena for Hojlund to regain confidence. Although he has not scored in the Premier League, he has scored 3 goals in the European arena.
The problem was that all three of Hojlund's goals came in the context of Man United's loss. The first was a double in a 3-4 defeat to Bayern Munich, the other goal came against Galatasaray when M.U lost 2-3.
In the third match against Copenhagen, Hojlund did not score but created a relatively stable xG (0.46). Therefore, when the two teams play again in the middle of this week, the Danish striker will have a great opportunity to shine.
The match between Copenhagen and Man United in the Champions League takes place at 03:00 on the morning of November 9 (Vietnam time).
