Dwight Yorke has claimed Man Utd star Rasmus Hojlund has a borrowed time at the club
Manchester United great Dwight Yorke has told Rasmus Hojlund he is on “borrowed time” even though the Red Devils star is currently in his best form.
After almost four months without a goal in the league, the Denmark international has netted four in his past four Premier League appearances.
When Hojlund failed to make an immediate impact at Old Trafford after arriving for an eye-watering £72 million in the summer, his move was questioned by fans and pundits.
The former Atalanta striker has managed to turn his critics into his admirers after his recent impressive form. Hojlund scored his first league goal in Boxing Day’s 3-2 victory against Aston Villa and he hasn’t looked back since.
Most United supporters are considerably more confident about their striker’s long-term performance, although Yorke obviously doesn’t feel the same way.
The former United ace clarified that Hojlund can be negatively impacted by the lack of experienced players at the top of their game.
He told Sky Sports: “He’s still on that borrowed time, he still needs time, but I’m glad that he’s got a couple of goals. That may settle him down.
“Another question, what are his strengths? Because I still don’t know what his strengths are. Often enough, when you do your due diligence about players and your playing £75m for a player – is he fast, can he head it, can he shoot, can he dribble…?”
“If you’re coming in it doesn’t matter how good you are, how young you are or how old you are, you’re going to be struggling in a team that is struggling, that is inconsistent,” Yorke explained.
“I feel for the kid and I think there will be some challenging times ahead for him.”
The young striker is finally looking like he has settled at Old Trafford. The young core of the team that includes Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Hojlund are all looking promising for the future of the club and playing their best football at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag will be hoping to see Hojlund keep up his good form as the Red Devils face Aston Villa at the weekend.
The Man United manager will be hoping to close the gap on 4th placed Villa, who are currently eight points ahead of the Red Devils.
Man Utd could soon welcome back their £60m summer signing but his role in the team is not so sure.
Mason Mount is close to a return
Mason Mount will soon be available again for Manchester United. You might not notice right away. He has been sidelined since November 11 with a calf problem and last started a Premier League game on October 7. It’s not exactly the return Erik ten Hag hoped for when he identified him as his top midfield target a year ago.
Mount joined United from Chelsea for £60million in the last summer window and has been ‘struggling’ with injury issues since August. It begs the question of how much United knew of the extent of his injury issues before he joined.
The England international did not start in any of Chelsea’s last 18 matches of the 2022–23 campaign due to a pubis injury, and he has started nine games in the last year, completing 90 minutes only once. It would be a surprise if he played a full game before the end of the campaign.
That’s not because of further fitness concerns, but because of the fact he won’t be starting matches in the first place. What is so alarming is that even when he is fit, it is hard to see exactly where he fits into the United side, a problem that has worsened during his spell on the sidelines.
Mount was signed to be the link man in midfield, tasked with progressing the play from defence to attack and bringing composure to the role. Kobbie Mainoo has proven to be that man instead.
In the five matches that Mount and Casemiro played together at the start of the campaign, United struggled for a midfield presence, with the duo struggling to match the physicality of the Premier League.
Mount’s case is again not helped by the fact teenager Mainoo has shone with his physicality as well as his ball-playing ability, showcasing both silk and steel during his senior breakthrough.
The former Chelsea midfielder is now a backup at best for United, behind Mainoo in the progressive midfield role and still behind club captain Bruno Fernandes in the more advanced attacking midfield role too.
It is not necessarily the biggest blow to have a player like Mount on the bench, though it once again undermines Ten Hag’s own eye for talent and the huge amount of money invested in a squad player, which left them short of funds to strengthen the squad in the January window.
Mount is also not helped by the fact United look to have finally solved their right-wing dilemma. Up until late December, there was no outstanding candidate to occupy the right-flank role, a position that he had shone in during his time at Chelsea.
The 25-year-old looked like an ideal big-game player thanks to his energy, pressing ability, and defensive discipline, but Ten Hag will favour the attacking threat of Alejandro Garnacho in that position instead.
There could still be occasions in which United decide Mount is worthy of a position switch out wide to help them against some strong possession-based opponents, though there are few opportunities for that to be tested between now and the end of the season.
As he nears a return to injury, Mount will be desperate to make up for lost time. The Bad news for him is that others made the most of it instead.
Leave a Reply