{"id":95316,"date":"2023-10-30T06:09:24","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T06:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/?p=95316"},"modified":"2023-10-30T06:09:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T06:09:24","slug":"man-utds-rasmus-hojlund-had-a-dizzying-ride-in-city-loss-as-problem-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/soccer\/man-utds-rasmus-hojlund-had-a-dizzying-ride-in-city-loss-as-problem-building\/","title":{"rendered":"Man Utd’s Rasmus Hojlund had a dizzying ride in City loss as problem building"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manchester United vs Manchester City in pictures<\/h3>\n

Rasmus Hojlund bore the disorientated and slightly sea-sick look of someone who had been trapped in a tumble drier for 73 minutes when he dejectedly was hauled off early by Erik ten Hag yesterday. There was booing from the United faithful as he departed. Not towards the Dane but towards Erik ten Hag\u2019s decision to take his \u00a372m striker off.<\/p>\n

Old Trafford recognises the talent – and the effort – but in this United team their star signing is struggling to keep his head above water. At 20, he has – by his own admission – a lot to learn still and in the company of the European champions it showed.<\/p>\n

Caught on the City carousel yesterday as the apex of a United side who did not know whether they were coming or going, it was a dizzying ride. And not in a fun way. Hojlund gave away the penalty for City\u2019s opening goal and ran down a cul-de-sac when presented with the chance to make amends while United were still in the contest in the first half.<\/p>\n

He has shown glimpses of his hold-up skills, his strength and the link-up play at United and he never stops running but for all his endeavour you can see the confidence beginning to drain. That is seven games and seven blanks for Hojlund in the Premier League. Any comparison with Erling Haaland is invidious but at the same stage of his career across Manchester he had 11 goals.<\/p>\n

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Hojland ranks in the bottom ten of players in the Premier League for expected goals this season. Numbers can be made to mean anything but, translated, that means he is struggling to hit a barn door with a banjo.<\/p>\n

The penalty concession was harsh – Rodri made the most of the chance to go down once he felt Hojlund\u2019s hands on him – but the blunder at the other end after Phil Foden had inadvertently put him through showed a striker grasping too hard for the lifeline of his first league goal for his new club. One clumsy touch, one toe-in from John Stones and the chance had evaporated. Nothing resembling it appeared for the rest of the afternoon.<\/p>\n