Why Rasmus Hojlund will NEVER work for Amorim

Robin Bairner

1 Mar 2025 12:00 GMT
11 min read

Rasmus Hojlund, Ruben Amorim, Man Utd — © IMAGO

Manchester United’s on-field problems might have eased thanks to the positive 3-2 result against Ipswich in midweek, but the performance and the fallout from the game suggests a long slog remains ahead.

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Victory came in a laboured manner while the post-match narrative was dominated by the strop that Alejandro Garnacho threw when he was replaced.

Current ETV

Rasmus Winther Højlund

F (C)

Man Utd

Rasmus Winther Højlund

F (C)

Man Utd

ETV Range

€56.4M - €68.9M

While the Argentine remains a potentially key figure for head coach Ruben Amorim in the months and, possibly, years ahead, the writing appears to be on the wall for Rasmus Hojlund.

Reports have appeared that the Man Utd coaching staff have grown fed up of trying to get a tune from the Denmark star and are ready to cut their losses with him in the summer.

Hojlund has just two Premier League goals to his credit this season, just one of which arrived during the Amorim era. While he continues to be picked regularly, there is a sense that this is out of necessity due to a lack of other options.

Against Ipswich, he was hauled off after 67 minutes.

READ MORE: Premier League top scorers 2024/25

Hojlund's fatal flaw

There is a fundamental issue beyond Hojlund’s lack of goals that makes him incompatible with Amorim’s thinking, and it is one that is likely to frustrate the Man Utd coaching staff more than anything.

In a team that is supposed to exert defensive pressure from the front, the 22-year-old is hopeless at doing so. Amorim’s philosophy is as much about aggressive defence as it is being productive on the ball, yet that has rarely been evident at Old Trafford.

Hojlund might just be the reason for this.

He is the second-worst striker in the whole of the Premier League at transition forcing, according to data analytics firm SciSports.

This refers to a player’s ability to force turnovers and win possession quickly, looking at aspects such as pressing success, counter-pressing efficiency, turnover rate, pass disruption and defensive actions leading to transitions. Fundamentally, it measures how much chaos a player causes when trying to win the ball back high up the field.

Hojlund vs. Premier League strikers: Transition forcing (2024/25)

Viktor Gyokeres vs. Liga Portugal strikers: Transition forcing (2024/25)

Amorim’s thinking thrives on transition forcing, yet Hojlund is hapless at it. By contrast, Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting is the leader in this category in Portugal.

To make things worse for United, Joshua Zirkzee also rates awfully in this category, which no doubt magnifies the weakness of the former Atalanta player in this regard.

Until this issue is fixed, though, the Red Devils will never meet their full potential, and in order to solve the problem, it seems that new personnel are required.