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Feature
- 16 hours ago
Harry Maguire FINISHES Rasmus Hojlund’s Man Utd career in 8 minutes
Robin Bairner
- 2 Apr 2025 08:45 BST
- 2 min read
Analysis
Harry Maguire was used as a makeshift centre-forward by Manchester United in the closing stages of their 1-0 Premier League defeat by Nottingham Forest, but during that time proved Ruben Amorim’s most dangerous striker.
Although United left the City Ground pointless ahead of their match against Manchester City at the weekend, the Red Devils turned in a much-improved display that can at least give fans confidence of better times ahead.
Current ETV
Rasmus Winther Højlund
F (C)
Man Utd
Rasmus Winther Højlund
F (C)
Man Utd
ETV Range
€56.5M - €69M
The one worry, though, was their ongoing lack of firepower.
Rasmus Hojlund started in the No.9 role. The Denmark international is Man Utd’s sole option in that position. Such is Amorim’s scarcity of options here, when he did drop the 22-year-old, he has used central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in his place.
But the former Atalanta striker is enduring a terrible campaign. Since the previous derby in mid-December, when Marcus Rashford, his only serious competition for the No.9 role, was exiled, he has scored only one goal – that coming against relegation-bound Leicester City.
Maguire might only have come on after 88 minutes of Tuesday’s clash in Nottingham, but the centre-back caused the type of offensive havoc that Hojlund was meant to provide.
Indeed, the centre-back came closest to grabbing an equalising goal for United in stoppage time when he had a prodded effort cleared from the goal line.
Could Maguire start as Man Utd’s centre-forward?
It was a display that means Maguire, who played two minutes of regulation time and six more of injury time against Nottingham Forest, is a genuine option for the position in the weeks ahead.
Remarkably, Maguire accumulated more xG during his brief cameo appearance against Nottingham Forest than Hojlund has managed in his previous 15 appearances, according to statistics expert James Tippett on X.
Outperformed to an embarrassing level by a central defender, Hojlund’s position is untenable and underlines how important it is that United sign another No.9 in the summer.
The final insult would be Maguire starting a game as a centre-forward before the end of the season – something that Amorim surely cannot rule out given what Man Utd saw at Forest.
