High-ranking officials at Manchester United have reportedly lost faith in Rasmus Hojlund, despite Ruben Amorim voicing his support for the player – showing a stark contrast to how things are done at Liverpool.
Hojlund has had a dismal season at Old Trafford, netting a mere four Premier League goals in 31 appearances. The underperforming Dane is expected to feature in next week’s Europa League final as United aims to salvage its lacklustre season with some silverware – though that may not be enough to qualify for the Champions League next year.
Hojlund made the switch from Atalanta to the Red Devils in a high-profile deal two years ago, but he has yet to live up to his hefty transfer fee. He has been on the receiving end of considerable criticism in recent months due to his lack of goal-scoring prowess and questionable work ethic.
His poor form has sparked rumours that he could be on his way out of Old Trafford come season’s end, provided a suitable buyer can be found. United’s top bosses are reportedly growing weary of Hojlund as he approaches the conclusion of his second season with the club.
Senior figures are said to be irate over his work ethic and are ‘not having’ the idea of retaining him for the next season, as per the Manchester Evening News. The report indicates it is ‘well-established’ that he will be replaced in the summer, having failed to establish himself as a valuable asset during his tenure at United.
This news comes just days after Amorim leapt to Hojlund’s defence, asserting he was ‘happy’ with his performance against Chelsea despite the lack of any goal threat. Amorim expressed satisfaction with Hojlund’s efforts, noting, “I’m happy, of course all the team has to improve, but the way he runs, he fights for every ball, loses a lot of duels, wins some duels, he needs to improve the connection,”.
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“But he is improving. I’m really happy with him. He just needs to continue working hard and better things will come.” The in-fighting at Old Trafford is the perfect representation of a club in disrepair – worlds away from the well-oiled-machine that is Liverpool.
The Reds are on the verge of signing right-back Jeremie Frimpong as the first arrival of the summer, as Slot already looks to replace the outgoing Trent Alexander-Arnold. The acquisition of Federico Chiesa appears to be the only case of Liverpool making a slight misstep in the transfer market – but it seems everyone at Anfield is in agreement that the Italian has a route to the first team.
Speaking on Friday, Slot assured Chiesa that he can see a future at the club for him – regardless of transfer links to Serie A leader Napoli. Slot said: “In terms of the quality that he has, he would deserve more time at this club or the club he is playing for. He has the quality for us.
“But unfortunately for him, he is in competition with Mo Salah on the right wing. He could also play on the left wing, but then he has Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz [to compete with]. I don’t think I am wrong if I tell you that all three have had great seasons, so for Chiesa to start one or 2-0 down, because the moment he came in, he wasn’t as fit as the others, then of course that doesn’t help in the beginning.
“Before he was as fit as the rest, the other ones did so well that there was not a lot of reasons for me to change. Then even to come in the squad becomes difficult. Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota are there as well. But is he good enough to play for us? Yes he is, but apparently I have always felt the others deserved the confidence I had in them, and I hardly ever changed that set-up between the three of them.”
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