Gary Neville claims major Man Utd signing is ‘lacking polish’ as redemption evades Rasmus Hojlund
Man Utd striker Rasmus Hojlund
It has seemed evident even before Manchester United bought him that Rasmus Hojlund is not the finished article, and a missed chance in the Manchester derby has highlighted how.
Manchester City took the lead at Old Trafford after a penalty given away by Hojlund for holding Rodri in the box, which was converted by Erling Haaland. Not long after, the recent Man Utd signing had a chance to equalise, but he ended up too wide of the goal for it to become a shooting opportunity.
It represented a continuation of Hojlund’s wait for his first Premier League goal, which is something of a concern given that Man Utd invested £72m in him, no matter how far ahead to the long term they were thinking.
Reacting to the missed chance during Sky Sports‘ coverage of the game, Man Utd legend Gary Neville explained how Hojlund is more ‘potential’ than ‘polish’ right now.
Neville said: “Hojlund had the chance right away to make amends for what happened at the other end.
“There’s no doubt the potential is there, but he’s just lacking polish at this stage of his career.”
DON’T MISS – Man Utd told Arsenal hero would be ‘upgrade on Hojlund’ after Arteta transfer realisation
Hojlund is only 20 years old, but has been entrusted to be Man Utd’s main centre-forward for years to come. They gave him a contract until 2028, with the option of a further year, when buying him from Atalanta.
Even over in Italy, his scoring record was not particularly noteworthy. He scored 10 goals in 34 appearances for Atalanta, having previously played for Sturm Graz and Copenhagen.
Although Hojlund has scored three goals in three Champions League appearances since his summer move, Man Utd will need him to develop quickly if they are to revive their fortunes in the Premier League.
Prior to the Man City clash, the only players in their squad to have scored more than once in the Premier League this season were midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay.
