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07th Nov 2023

Daniel Sturridge offers different outlook on Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles at Man United

Lee Costello

“It doesn’t look good at the moment.”

Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was a guest on Monday Night Football alongside Jamie Carragher where he shared an interesting outlook Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles at Man United.

The United forward hasn’t hit the ground running at Old Tarrford as Erik ten Hag was hoping he could be their main central striker up front, but so far they haven’t been able to get the best out of him.

Instead of getting the pitch forks out, Sturridge has offered some advice for the young goal-getter, and pleaded for fans to take their time before evaluating him.

“It will change, he [Hojlund] has to have conversations with his team-mates letting them know what he likes, he has to have these conversations letting them know ‘this is what I’m like get the ball here and feed me in’.

“The manager has his ideas of how he wants his team to play. In the end he is a project and not the perfect striker right now, not the finished article. When he gets these opportunities, he is desperate to show he has the capabilities to score goals at a big club like United.

“Maybe Hojlund over time will get to a place saying I have to create things for myself and get a shot away, at the moment there’s not a lot there with goals and shots. It doesn’t look good but I don’t think it creates a total picture.

“It’s very easy to criticise him when we’ve not seen him miss loads of chances.”

Jamie Carragher thinks Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles could be down to two other Man United players.

Carragher also made the point that because the team is struggling as a whole, then United’s other key scorers are trying too hard to get on the scoresheet themselves, and maybe forcing the situation, which makes it more difficult for Hojlund.

He added: “Because United are struggling, Rashford and Fernandes are desperate to score and not helping him, like Nunez last season it’s just whether you see him click into gear.”

Darwin Nunez of course struggled last season for Liverpool, but the team was playing very poorly overall so that it made it difficult. Once the team got themselves into a better position where they were winning games and building momentum, the striker was able to flourish more.

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