Rasmus Hojlund came the closest to ending Manchester United’s tedious five-year wait for a goal at Anfield last night.
Late in the game, when the Red Devils seemingly decided to test Liverpool’s resolve a little more on the attack, Hojlund found himself in an ideal shooting position in front of the Kop but saw his efforts ultimately saved by Alisson.
Should he have found the back of the net, it would’ve undoubtedly sent United’s away support into hysterics. Jesse Lingard was the last Red to contribute at the stadium in 2018, while the Reds’ last win came all the way back in 2016. After Sunday’s goalless stalemate, the wait goes on for another season.
The match also extended an unwanted personal record for the young Dane, as he made it 13 Premier League games without opening his goalscoring account. While most of the United faithful are choosing to be patient with Hojlund, given that he’s just 20 years old and scored five times in the Champions League group stage, others are raising their eyebrows with every blank matchday due to his hefty price tag of £72 million.
Pundits weigh in on Hojlund
Speaking post-match in the Sky Sports studio (as cited by the Metro), club legend Roy Keane highlighted Hojlund’s squandered chance and said: “When you play big money for a striker, these are the chances you have to take. You are not going to get many. It’s nice link-up play by United but he has to score. It’s a big moment.”
Jamie Carragher then questioned whether Hojlund’s big-money switch to Old Trafford should’ve happened when the player had more experience under his belt.
“I feel a bit sorry for him in that it feels like this move has come a little bit too early for him,” the former defender explained. “He was signed from Atalanta in the summer, it feels as though there should be a club here [below United] and then United.
“I feel for him, he doesn’t get much service at all. I feel for him. We say you need time but when you are at the top clubs you don’t get that long. He has scored in the Champions League but I just hope this move hasn’t come too early in his career.”
