Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has come to the defense of striker Rasmus Hojlund, attributing the Danish forward’s goal drought to a lack of support from his teammates.
Hojlund has failed to score in his last 16 appearances across all competitions, and more concerningly, he has not registered a shot in seven of those matches. Amorim, however, insists that this lack of clinical edge is a team issue, with United scoring only 30 league goals this season, a tally surpassed by just four other clubs.
“I think it’s clear,” the United boss said this week. “We, as a team, aren’t helping Rasmus. We don’t create many chances. We lack a threat, and you can feel it in the games. Sometimes we get into the final third, but we don’t feel dangerous, and even when we’re defending, the opponent isn’t afraid of our transitions. As a coach, I also feel that we’re not supporting our strikers.”
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Amorim remains confident in Hojlund’s abilities, noting his potential to succeed if the team’s overall play improves. “Rasmus has a lot of potential,” he said. “If we improve the way we play, he’ll get more chances to score. He came here young, and sometimes being the No. 9 and playing regularly can be difficult at that age. It’s everything together—the context.”
Hojlund has only scored two Premier League goals this season, having joined United for a fee that could rise to £72m. His underwhelming form has led to rumors that some members of the coaching staff are “losing patience” with him, but Amorim disagrees.
“We need to look at Rasmus as a player—he has pace and technique, and he scores goals that are hard to score,” Amorim explained. “Sometimes he doesn’t make the best runs, or he gets anxious to touch the ball because he goes long periods without it, moving away from the goal. We work on that in training, but it also comes down to the player’s confidence and, more importantly, how we play.”
Amorim stressed that the problem is more of a team issue than an individual one, adding, “If we improve, Rasmus will improve, and I believe that strongly.”
