"Completely hopeless again, a boy among men" - Ex-Manchester United star calls out Rasmus Hojlund for his poor recent performance
Former Manchester United defender John Sivebaek has criticized striker Rasmus Hojlund for his repeated poor performances this season. Speaking to Ekstra Bladet (via Sport Witness), Sivebaek has mentioned that Hojlund is like 'a boy among men.'
The Dane has scored just seven times across all competitions this season. It is only slightly better than his fellow striker Joshua Zirkzee, who has found the back of the net four times. Hojlund has been United's best option up front at times when Zirkzee has not done well, but he too has not lived up to expectations.
Sivebaek felt that his compatriot had a lot of expectations weighing down upon him, most of which were for him to become the next Erling Haaland. At 21, Sivebaek felt that Hojlund was far too young to be living up to such expectations. He also felt that the striker was struggling because his team was struggling too.
“[Rasmus Hojlund] should never have started [against Southampton] and apart from one good move where he set up Garnacho, he was completely hopeless again. A boy among men. He’s struggling. But it’s also very difficult for such a young guy," said Sivebaek.
"There are high expectations for him to be the new Haaland, and that’s a lot of expectations at such a young age. He’s playing in a team that doesn’t work, and you can’t blame him for underperforming. However, I think he works really hard for it,” he added.
“It is painful to look at as a former Manchester United player with the results they are making at the moment" - John Sivebaek
Sivebaek went on to say that it was 'painful' for him to watch the current Manchester United team play. Ruben Amorim's side sit in the 13th spot of the Premier League table with 26 points at the moment.
“It is painful to look at as a former United player with the results they are making at the moment. We have been well used to it, and it is difficult to come after Sir Alex. He just won everything, and that’s hard to live up to. But the crisis is big. It is because everyone expects more from Manchester United. They must be at the top, also considering the money that is spent on players,” continued Sivebaek.
Former Atalanta man Hojlund's last goal for United came in their 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Europa League back in December. He has scored a total of 23 goals in 69 appearances for Manchester United so far in his career.
However, Hojlund's return of just two goals from 17 Premier League games this season has been alarming, at best. He will hope to regain his form when the Red Devils face Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, January 23.
