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Manchester United supporters are desperate to see new striker Rasmus Hojlund in action following the club’s limp start to the Premier League stadium and it looks as though those goal-starved fans won’t have to wait too much longer to witness the 20-year-old’s first appearance.
United were beaten 2-0 at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening and their defeat was characterised by another toothless showing from their misfiring forwards.
Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho mustered 15 attempts between them in North London last weekend, but only hit the target three times, six days after the same quartet racked up just two accurate strikes against Wolves.
With Dutch boss Erik ten Hag feeling the early squeeze, United need to shake the cobwebs off soon and the addition of the dynamic Rasmus Hojlund to the frontline could help to spark life in the rusty Red Devils.
When will Hojlund make his debut for Man Utd?
Rasmus Hojlund has been nursing a back injury since his switch to United from Atalanta earlier in the summer, though the talented centre-forward is inching towards a return and there have been whispers about a possible inclusion for the Danish international in Saturday’s fixture against Nottingham Forest, albeit as a substitute.
When discussing Hojlund’s back problem a few weeks back, Erik ten Hag was cautious, saying: “He had a small issue and he’s not on the levels where our players are at in this moment. So we have to train him. Prognosis [is] difficult always to say. We are confident and we are positive.”
Ten Hag was effusive in his praise for Hojlund as a player however, saying: “He has the potential, the physicality, the speed, his character, his hungriness, his determination for goals. He’s absolutely the right fit.
“Also, his age fits very good in the profile, so we are very confident we found the right striker. But he needs time, time to integrate. He is not available from the start, so that delays the process.”
Last Friday, Hojlund added fuel to the rumours that his debut was on the horizon when he posted a picture of himself training on Instagram with the caption “soon”.
Man Utd fans will hope that Hojlund’s first runout in red will be sooner rather than later after their team’s poor performances in the opening exchanges of the new Premier League campaign.
Rasmus Hojlund to feature against Nottingham Forest?
Manchester United’s clash with Arsenal on September 3rd had been tentatively pencilled in as a possible first fixture for Hojlund, though there have been whispers on Twitter to indicate the ex-Atalanta starlet could be squeezed onto the bench against Forest this weekend.
United’s desperation for goals and cutting edge at the business end of the pitch could push them to accelerate Hojlund’s integration, though they will still be keen to manage the Dane’s minutes as he steps up his recovery.
Hojlund started just 20 times in Serie A for Atalanta last season and featured in another 12 league games as a substitute. The largely inexperienced target man should expect to see a similar amount of action in his maiden campaign in the Premier League.
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