Rasmus Hojlund has endured a difficult start to life at Manchester United after going almost four full months without a goal in the Premier League.
The Danish international scored five goals in six appearances in the Champions League but that form did not translate into domestic goals.
He started as well as you could hope from a new big-money signing but he simply wasn’t finding the back of the net – until the magical Boxing Day turnaround win over Aston Villa.
After going 2-0 down, United shifted into sixth gear and scored three goals after the interval, with Hojlund’s moment of release being the eventual winner.
Casemiro, who has barely played with the Dane due to injuries to them both, has spoken about Hojlund’s attitude in his maiden United appearance.
The official Manchester United website have detailed an interview with Casemiro a while back when the Brazil international was visibly happy with Hojlund’s output in that debut game against Arsenal.
“At the end of the day, he’s just a kid, so we shouldn’t be putting a lot of pressure on him,” Casemiro is quoted as saying. “A lot of people think that he should be coming in and scoring 30-odd goals right away.
“He’s still young and this is his first season in the Premier League.
“Regarding the footage you mentioned, I was really happy with his attitude. The thing is, it’s really difficult when you come on in such a demanding game, as games against Arsenal are.
“When he entered the fray he contributed a lot, changing our dynamic, so I tried to express to him just how I was feeling,” added the midfielder, who is working hard to get back into action after an injury lay-off.
“He’s definitely playing better in every game and he’s working really hard. Rasmus is a dedicated lad and he’s keen to kick on.
“He’ll be a great player for this club and, with the ambitions he has, he could define an era at Manchester United.”
The pair are set to share a pitch again for the first time in months soon, with Casemiro returning to full training this week.
United’s FA Cup game against Wigan on Monday may be too early for Casemiro but he could feature against Tottenham next week. If fit, Hojlund is already a shoo-in for that game.
