06 September 2023 , 18:34
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Former Arsenal and England star Paul Merson has warned Manchester United not to get too carried away by Rasmus Hojlund's debut cameo, having seen similarly impressive form from Mykhaylo Mudryk last season.
Hojlund made his first appearance in a United shirt on Sunday, coming off the bench against Arsenal. The Dane showed some good touches, and had a role in Alejandro Garnacho's disallowed goal, with his display offering some hope despite the 3-1 defeat.
Merson, however, is keen for the club and fans to recognise they shouldn't read too much into that performance. After all, Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk was similarly lively on his Blues debut against Liverpool last season but failed to build on his fast start.
"Rasmus Hojlund looked good - a right handful. But that was for 20 minutes," Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column. "I saw Mykhalo Mudryk for 20 minutes at Liverpool in January and I haven't seen him since.
While Merson was reluctant to praise Hojlund too highly, United boss Erik ten Hag was impressed. "I thought he [Hojlund] was very good, he made a big impact," he said.
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"But, I also want to give credit to [Anthony] Martial, I thought he was very good, too. There are promising signs for us.”
What do you make of Merson's assessment? Have your say in the comments section
Rasmus Hojlund made his Manchester United debut on Sunday (Getty Images)Former United captain Gary Neville also picked out the positives after United's summer signing finally got his chance to impress. Hojlund was injured during Atalanta's pre-season schedule before completing his £72m move, forcing United to stay patient.
“Manchester United have not had a striker they can hit," Neville said on Sky Sports. "[Cristiano] Ronaldo was not a classic target man, Martial and [Marcus] Rashford certainly aren't, but it looks as though he will mess people about. The good thing is that he's still learning the game.
“He's only played a couple of seasons at top-level football, but people are expecting him to be an Erling Haaland for Manchester United. They don't have anyone with experience to help or back him up.”
Man Utd and Chelsea will both want to get the most out of their expensive signings when the pair return from international duty. Mudryk is part of the Ukraine squad facing matches against England and Italy, while Hojlund will be looking to add to his six goals - the joint-most of any player in qualifying - as Denmark face San Marino and Finland.