Former Man United Star Claims Returning Forward Could Give Huge Boost to Erik Ten Hag
Premier League football returned at the weekend and Manchester United were able to secure a crucial victory against Brentford, relieving some of the intense pressure that has been on head coach Erik Ten Hag recently. The Red Devils went into half-time 0-1 down, with Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock giving the visitors a lead and at that point it wasn’t looking great for United.
However, goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund flipped the game on its head and ultimately grabbed all three points in the end. Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown spoke exclusively to EPL Index about the weekend’s game, and suggested the latter of those names could be crucial to the Red Devils in the near future.
Rasmus Hojlund’s Much-Needed Return
“At the start of the season he was injured,” began Brown, “but against Brentford, he played really well.” The Danish forward has frequently struggled for fitness since his arrival at Old Trafford but has often looked reasonably bright. His impressive goalscoring record in the UEFA Champions League last season speaks volumes, scoring five goals in six games in the group stage.
“He looked like a real threat,” Brown continued, “There is definitely something there with him and it’s something that has been missing so far this season when the likes of Joshua Zirkzee have played there.” Prior to the crucial win at the weekend, goalscoring has been a major issue for United, as highlighted in our interview with Jermaine Pennant last week.
The former Liverpool midfielder was keen to point out that only three teams in Europe’s top five leagues had scored fewer league goals than Manchester United. Such a worrying stat had drawn immense criticism targeted towards the likes of Zirkzee, Garnacho and Marcus Rashford. Manchester United fans will be hoping that Hojlund can correct their poor goalscoring form and relieve some of that pressure that has been weighing heavy on Ten Hag.
Hojlund’s Man United Future
With his summer move from Atalanta last summer coming with a hefty price tag of £65million, pressure has been heavy on the Danish forward. However, in the modern game it becomes so easy to forget how young some of these talents are, and at just 21-years-old there’s plenty of time for Hojlund to grow and become one of the standout centre forwards in the Premier League.
Brown further emphasised this point, claiming: “He’ll definitely be looking to make that role his own and nail down that spot in the starting eleven, if he can stay fit.” That question over Hojlund’s fitness remains the major sticking point when looking at his future prospects, but if he can put that record straight, then Ten Hag could have a huge lifeline in his bid to save his Manchester United job.
