06 February 2024 , 22:26
1018
0
Rasmus Hojlund has bizarrely been told he is on "borrowed time" by Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke - despite being in the best form of his Red Devils career.
The Denmark international has scored four goals in his last four Premier League games, after a lengthy spell that lasted four months without one. Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford in the summer for an eye-watering fee of £72million, but failed to hit the ground running and as a result, the expensive transfer was questioned by fans and pundits alike.
However, Boxing Day's 3-2 win over Aston Villa saw Hojlund net his first league goal and he hasn't looked back since. As a result, the bulk of United fans are significantly more optimistic about how their striker will fare in the long run, but Yorke clearly doesn't share that sentiment.
The ex-United ace explained that Hojlund may suffer from not having enough senior players operating at the peak of their powers to learn from. Yorke questioned if the former Atalanta ace is the answer to United's problems, before telling 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…?"
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
Yorke continued, questioning what traits United identified when they scouted Hojlund from the Serie A outfit. He also added that the club's wider struggles are hardly going to help create an environment where the striker can thrive.
"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."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Hojlund on borrowed time? Comment below
Rasmus Hojlund has four goals in his last four league games for Manchester United (Getty Images)The suggestion that Hojlund is on borrowed time is not the first time Yorke has levelled that claim at a United player. He said the same about Jadon Sancho back in May of last year.
It played out as Yorke predicted in that instance, with Sancho now on loan at Borussia Dortmund less than three years after he first arrived at United as part of a £73m move, after a fall-out with manager Erik ten Hag.
With that being said, Hojlund is a Ten Hag signing and has had no complaints about his work ethic or attitude. It seems incredibly unlikely he meets the same fate as the exiled Sancho any time soon.