A touted star of the future, Rasmus Hojlund could soon be a Manchester United player.
The 20-year-old striker made such an impression in his debut season at Atalanta that Erik ten Hag is willing to sanction a £59.9m move for the forward. Links with Harry Kane, Randal Kolo Muani and Victor Osimhen have come and gone, with the Dutch coach seemingly content with the younger and more cost-effective Hojlund.
The signings of Mason Mount and Andre Onana have already raised expectations at Old Trafford and the arrival of Hojlund will only add more pressure on the Red Devils to succeed next season.
Securing Champions League qualification, winning the Carabao Cup and reaching the FA Cup final helped Ten Hag win over the club’s supporters, but with every passing year comes a greater expectation to win more meaningful trophies and challenge for Europe’s biggest prizes.
The consensus among those in Manchester was that had the club had a more prolific and orthodox number nine last year, the Red Devils could have achieved even greater things. Next season, Ten Hag may have the man he needs to transform United.
When compared to United’s current strikers Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, Hojlund offers the Red Devils a completely different threat. The youngster is incredibly physical, has good pace and an incredible nous for finding space in the penalty area.
With a little help from FBref, we can analyse how Hojlund compares to United’s current attacking options.
When looking at the more obvious metrics of what makes a good striker – goals and assists – Hojlund has shown his ability to contribute effectively. He scored 12 goals and registered four assists in 37 matches with Sturm Graz and Atalanta last season. Rashford, who is more comfortable coming off the left-hand side, managed 17 goals and five assists in 35, while Martial, who struggled for fitness last term, registered just six goals and two assists in 21 matches.
However, Hojlund only started 24 of 37, while Rashford started 32 of 35, highlighting how impressive Hojlund’s statistics are given his more managed game time. Similarly, Martial only started 11 times last term, showing he is still effective in front of goal when fit.
Both Hojlund and Rashford outperformed their expected goals by approximately two goals each. This either highlights their proficiency in front of goal or suggests that their current goalscoring feats are not sustainable long-term. Given Rashford’s consistency and experience, the former probably applies to him, while Hojlund remains a more unknown quantity.
However, Hojlund’s arrival can benefit Rashford greatly. One of the Englishman’s best attributes is his pace and willingness to run at defenders, boasting a 39.1% success rate from 138 take-ons last season. Hojlund’s arrival will allow Rashford to operate on the left flank where he can be more effective running at full-backs.
One area of play where Hojlund is expected to help United significantly is his ability to hold the ball up.
The emergency loan of Wout Weghorst last season was meant to offer Ten Hag someone with a similar skillset while also pressing from the front and winning aerial duels, but the Dutchman’s impact was limited.
When you compare these players’ successful aerial duel percentage, Hojlund comes out on top, albeit only narrowly above Martial. Rashford won just 33.3% of his aerial duels last term, while Hojlund and Martial boasted 37.1% and 37% success rates respectively. It’s clear both the traditional centre-forwards are more suited to using their physicality and competing with centre-backs, something Hojlund will need to do in the Premier League to be successful.
However, there’s not much use in having a physical number nine who cannot do anything productive when the ball arrives at his feet. Hojlund does have the lowest pass accuracy of the three attackers last season, with just 73.1% of his passes finding a target. Meanwhile, Rashford and Martial had 76.7% and 80.2% accuracy respectively, showing their technical superiority.
While Hojlund is a really clever and aggressive striker who will likely do great things for Ten Hag and his system, he is not an incredible upgrade on what United already possess at this moment in time. However, when you consider that Rashford is more productive on the left wing and that Martial’s fitness cannot be trusted, it becomes a lot more apparent why United are so desperate for reinforcements up top.
Hojlund’s age must also be taken in consideration. He’s only 20-years-old, five years younger than Rashford and seven years younger than Martial.
It’s evident that United are playing for a forward with huge potential, a project player that Ten Hag can mould into his ideal striker. The fact that he is already producing competitive numbers when compared to United’s current attacking options highlights his maturity and intelligence on the field at such a tender age.
Having been compared to Erling Haaland in the past by his coach Gian Piero Gasperini, United supporters will be hoping he can eventually compete with the Norwegian and put the club back at the top of the tree.
If he arrives at Old Trafford, all eyes will be on him, and there will be nowhere to hide.
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