The youngster has been in sensational form since the turn of the year and has played a major role in the club’s good run in 2024.
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There were lots of positives to take from Manchester United’s 2022-23 season. They finished third in the Premier League table and won the Carabao Cup. Besides, the Red Devils reached the final of the FA Cup before losing to Manchester City and also progressed to the quarter-final of the Europa League. However, the only concern was the lack of goals being scored by the club’s forwards. Marcus Rashford did score a lot of goals for them but he primarily cut in from the left wing.
Hence, Manchester United invested heavily in a striker last summer and brought in the talented Rasmus Hojlund. The Denmark international might just be 21 but he has shown a lot of maturity beyond his age at Old Trafford. He got himself up and running in the Champions League immediately but needed time to get his first in the Premier League. The youngster has been in sensational form since the turn of the year and has played a major role in the club’s good run in 2024.
One of the goals that stood out was his improvised finish away to Luton Town. Alejandro Garnacho struck a volley which was smartly diverted onto the goal by Hojlund with his chest. Former United striker Andy Cole believes confidence played a huge part in that finish. “I think the one against Luton was great improvisation. He got himself into a position with the way he adjusted his body and chested it,” Cole, quoted on the club’s website, said as he was at Old Trafford to promote WOW Hydrate.
He added: “You’ve got to improvise and that’s confidence. Maybe if he didn’t have confidence, he wouldn’t look to do that, he’d take it down. He’s in a rich vein of form and it’s a great positive to be in that form.” Speaking about some of the best poachers at the club, Cole said, “Chicharito, for sure, I’d describe him as one [of the poachers]. Who else have we got? Ruud? One hundred per cent. One hundred per cent. One of the best. I’m not going to stand here and try to say he wasn’t one of the best poachers about, definitely.”
The Manchester United legend also heaped praise on former player and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, he feels it is too early to judge Hojlund in relation to being a poacher. “Yes, Ole. I always say he was a student of the game. I’ve never known an individual to make such a big impact coming off the bench or being involved in a game, or whatever. He had the uncanny knack of getting in great positions and putting the ball in the back of the net,” he explained.
The striker added: “It’s very early for Rasmus. He’s starting out on his Manchester United career. The names you mention, Ole, Ruud, are up there. Ruud was, like I said, one of the best. I had the opportunity to play with him and then he was leaving United to go on to play for Real Madrid and teams like that. He always had it in him, an individual in the box who really came alive in the box.”
Cole also admitted he can be regarded as a poacher during his playing days, as he spoke about his preference to score “scruffy goals.” Asked if he regarded him as a poacher, Cole replied, “I would like to believe so. I’d like to believe I extended my goal repertoire as well, I think even more so when I came to Manchester United. When I was at Newcastle, yeah, but when I came to Manchester United, I was known for all kinds of goals in the end. I always used to say about scruffy goals, if you put one in the top bin, you only get one goal. I prefer to get scruffy ones than top-bin ones. They all get added to the account.”
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