Manchester United have yet to see much of a return on their investment in young Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund this season, and Dwight Yorke has singled him out as a problem in Erik ten Hag’s squad.
Former Red Devils star Yorke played alongside proven quality forwards such as Andrew Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during his Old Trafford days, whereas the club are now relying almost solely on youngster Hojlund to deliver the goods up front, and it’s not working.
Yorke believes Man Utd should have signed more proven players for big money, such as Erling Haaland, Harry Kane or Victor Osimhen, which is perhaps easier said than done, though he makes a fair point about what a club of this size should at least be aiming for.
Hojlund might well end up reaching those heights at some point in the next few years, but the expectation at United means fans are impatient for success, and struggling players will always get the spotlight on them in a way that they might not at other clubs.
Discussing United’s shortage of quality up front, Yorke told the Daily Mail: “I think they should have paid £150m for Haaland. Harry Kane is an obvious choice. And Osimhen is another I would have tried for.
“I feel sorry for the kid Rasmus, he’s suffering all around. I didn’t know anything about him until he came to United for such a huge fee. He’s 20 years of age, never had top-level experience, and you can see he’s in that development stage.”
He added: “You can’t bring a rookie in to do a man’s job. It just doesn’t work. He’s making the game look a little bit difficult. But who is he learning from?”
Hojlund looked impressive at Atalanta and one imagines he might have benefited from staying at a club like that for a bit longer before making such a big step up.
