Man Utd legend Andy Cole explains "issue" Hojlund is facing after £72m transfer

01 December 2023 , 07:31

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Man Utd legend Andy Cole explains "issue" Hojlund is facing after £72m transfer

Andy Cole is concerned that Rasmus Hojlund has no reference point to learn from at Manchester United.

The Dane was a £72million signing in the summer, joining after impressing at Atalanta. He remains a young talent though and is still honing his skills, but with few senior pros in his position to learn from Hojlund is having to survive having been thrown in from the start.

Hojlund has largely led the line for the Red Devils since arriving, but is yet to score in the Premier League. He's notched numerous times in the Champions League and has shown plenty of promise, but Cole has outlined how different his scenario was when he moved to Manchester.

He said: "I think an issue for Hojlund is he hasn’t got anyone at Man Utd to learn from and improve his game. When I joined Man Utd I had the likes of Hughes and Cantona to learn from. Then as I settled into the team, I could still improve my game playing with the likes of Solskjaer, Sheringham, and Yorke.

"So, there was always the opportunity to learn, but Hojlund hasn’t got that experience around him and the burden falls completely on him. He works so hard on the pitch and he’s young and keen to impress. It’s a lot of pressure to put on someone so young."

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Last term, Marcus Rashford was the team's main marksman as he smashed the 30-goal barrier for the first time. This year though, he's struggled to replicate those levels with United having to get goals from other sources.

Erik ten Hag has continued to pour praise on Hojlund, who has all the qualities to become an elite striker. United took something of a risk in the summer given his tender age and lack of games, but their investment was done with a long-term view.

Rasmus Hojlund is yet to score in the Premier League (Getty)

But Cole believes they need to go back into the market for another No.9 who is accustomed to playing at the top level, which will aid Hojlund's development.

"Man Utd need to bring in a forward that’s played at a high level for many years as they’re simply not scoring enough goals," he added. "That will take a lot of the burden off of Hojlund and also give him someone to learn from. However, the last player Man Utd had of the calibre was Van Persie. Man Utd has always been a high scoring team and they’re not hitting the numbers they need to."

Cole shared his thoughts during Budweiser Brewing Group and TNT Sports pub takeover at The Grove, Newcastle.

Samuel Meade