Manchester United have gone about their transfer business in a frankly appalling way in the past few seasons. The success rate of their signings has been abysmal, with many players failing to make a meaningful impact and eventually being offloaded at a significant financial loss in the following campaigns.
A couple of seasons ago, under Erik ten Hag’s managerial reign, Man Utd spent close to £64m to sign Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta on the back of one good season in Serie A. Even at that point, it was a transfer that represented a gamble.
The Dane’s time at Old Trafford has been marred by inconsistency and some injuries. The promise has been there for everyone to see, but with very poor goalscoring returns, it is clear that Hojlund is not ready to lead the line for a club of Man Utd’s magnitude.
Hojlund more likely to leave
Now, as per Athletic writer Laurie Whitwell speaking on the Talk of the Devils podcast (h/t Manchester Evening News), Rasmus Hojlund is more likely to leave Manchester United this summer than to stay at the club and continue next season.
Inter Milan have been heavily linked with a move for the 22-year-old this summer, although talks haven’t yet led to a conclusion. Man Utd are said to be asking in the region of £38m to part ways with the Dane this summer, which is almost a 50% hit on their initial investment.
Hojlund’s numbers at Manchester United so far tell a story. In 95 games across all competitions, the €35 million-rated number nine has scored 26 goals and provided 6 assists. These aren’t stats that are worthy of a Red Devils striker.
Time is a luxury Man Utd don’t have
Having moved to Old Trafford at 20, it is clear that the Dane is still very young. He has shown glimpses of promise, which have provided false hope that he could become more consistent, but the goals have been few and far to justify this claim.
At the stage at which Man Utd’s project under Ruben Amorim is, what they need is immediate success. Time is a luxury that the club doesn’t have at the moment, and thus, it would make a lot of sense for the club to move on from Hojlund, and bring in someone more reliable. The next few weeks could provide a clearer picture on how things play out.
