Alan Shearer raises Rasmus Hojlund concern after first Premier League goal

Former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer believes Manchester United have overused Rasmus Hojlund so far this season.

“Hojlund, who got his first Premier League goal, you could see the relief on his face,” Shearer said on the Rest is Football podcast. “I thought he was going to burst when he was doing his celebrations and rightly so because you can imagine the pressure, unfairly at times because we’ve said it, he should be in and out. He should be learning. He should have a rest one day and back in again. But because of the transfer fee and the situation at Old Trafford he has to play more than he should have been and that’s been tough on him. But the relief that he will have will be huge.”

It’s hardly the most outrageous opinion that Manchester United are far too over reliant on a 20-year-old striker.

Hojlind, who signed for United from Atalanta in the summer, is the only reliable striker available to Erik ten Hag. The only player pushing him for a spot (I say that lightly) is Anthony Martial. There’s nobody else in the squad that is a recognised striker.

Although the Dane had no problem finding the back of the net in Europe this season, it took him until Boxing Day to end his search for his first Premier League goal.

Hojlund scored the winner in a remarkable 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

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