Erik ten Hag’s serious Hojlund problem that must be dealt with now by Man United
With only 52 goals scored in the current Premier League season, the joint worst out of the top 12 teams, it’s clear that Erik ten Hag has a striker problem that he needs to address.
The Dutchman has presided over the most average of seasons at United, and when one considers that his main striker, Rasmus Hojlund, has plundered just eight goals in 28 English top-flight appearances (WhoScored), it brings the nature of the issue into sharp focus.
His last goal came against bottom-of-the-table, Sheffield United, at the end of April, and his previous goalscoring contribution was way back in February against another team fighting relegation, Luton Town.
Hojlund’s lack of goals causing issues for Erik ten Hag
His double in that match at Kenilworth Road came at the end of a purple patch where he’d managed to find the net in six successive games in all competitions.
That his first Premier League goal didn’t arrive until the Boxing Day win over Aston Villa goes some way to evidencing just how poor the 21-year-old has been.
Ten Hag, as might be expected, had to be seen to be talking up the positives when the club signed him for a not insignificant transfer fee of £72m deal from Atalanta (BBC Sport).
The Dutchman has since admitted recently that he wanted to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham but the club weren’t in a position to do so.
Given how many times the former Spurs man has found the net with Bayern, there has to be a feeling of ‘what might’ve been’ at Old Trafford.
In any event, ten Hag’s problems with Hojlund appear to extend much further than his inability to score goals on a regular basis for the Red Devils.
According to the Manchester Evening News, a member of the United squad has confided that a number of Hojlund’s team-mates are now reluctant to pass the ball to him because of his lack of prowess in front of goal.
If there’s any truth in the rumours, that’s a situation that can’t be allowed to fester and must be dealt with head on and with a firm hand as soon as practicable.
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