A revealing statistic has emerged which could explain why Manchester United‘s £72m summer signing Rasmus Hojlund is struggling for goals at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils brought in Hojlund after Cristiano Ronaldo left the club last season, and he scored five goals in the Champions League group stage, despite United crashing out of Europe.
He is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League, though, leading to concerns that he is struggling to settle in England.
However, statistics highlight that a greater worry ought to be the lack of service that he has got in his opening months at the club.
According to Opta, Hojlund sits bottom of the list of main strikers when it comes to receiving passes from his team-mates this term. Across his 12 top flight appearances, Hojlund has been passed to fewer than 150 times.
Rasmus Hojlund has received fewer passes than any other main striker in the Premier League
Hojlund is yet to score a league goal for Erik ten Hag’s side this season
Hojlund and Anthony Martial sit the bottom of the list when it comes to passes received by strikers this season
Opta’s table also reveals that the only other striker to receive fewer than 150 passes is Hojlund’s United team-mate Anthony Martial. The Frenchman only has one league goal to his name in 2023-24.
By comparison, Tottenham’s Son Heung-min is top of the pile having received nearly 400 passes, almost three times as many as Hojlund. The South Korean star has 10 goals this season playing in Ange Postecoglou’s free-flowing team.
It has been anything but free-flowing at Old Trafford in recent months under Erik ten Hag, with United only scoring 18 goals in their 16 games to date.
This is fewer than any other side in the top 14, while 17th-placed Everton have also found the net more often than United.
The finger of blame for the lack of goals has been pointed at Hojlund at times, but the numbers indicate that he needs more help from those around him.
Hojlund was visibly frustrated during United’s 3-0 loss against Bournemouth last weekend when full back Diogo Dalot opted to shoot from a tight angle rather than cut the ball back to him.
Hojlund was visibly furious when Diogo Dalot didn’t pass to him during Man United’s defeat by Bournemouth last week
His lack of goals has become an issue, and 14 Premier League teams have scored more goals than United this season
The incident occurred when United were only 1-0 down and proved to be a crucial turning point in the game as Dalot could only find the side-netting before the hosts went on to concede two more goals in a humiliating home defeat.
United find themselves down in sixth place after a disappointing start to the season that has seen them lose seven of their 16 league matches.
It could have been even worse for the side who have needed late strikes from midfielders Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes to rescue wins for them following unconvincing performances.
But while these players have produced moments of inspiration, their struggles to create anything for Hojlund has become an issue.
Fernandes is also suspended for United’s trip to Anfield on Sunday, meaning Hojlund will not be able to look to him for service.
Paul Scholes has accused United’s wingers of being ‘selfish’ as they have struggled to create chances for Hojlund
Paul Scholes also claimed earlier this week that United’s wingers Antony and Alejandro Garnacho are ‘selfish’ and he believes this is a ‘major problem’.
‘You expect creativity from your wide players Antony and [Alejandro] Garnacho but they’re actually quite selfish players, and they are not players who are looking up, they are thinking about scoring their own goal,’ he said after United’s 1-0 defeat against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
‘Obviously, from last year they’ve not got Rashford as well. He was in flying form but has not had that type of form this year.’
Hojlund is likely to lead the line again at Liverpool this weekend, and is likely to need far better service if Ten Hag’s men are going to get anything from the game and start to turn their season around.
