Man Utd set to break unwanted record without drastic turnaround in final four Premier League games
RASMUS HOJLUND admitted “I needed that” after scoring just his second Manchester United goal in 2025 to salvage a point at Bournemouth.
But the big question remains: Do United need Hojlund?
The Red Devils are well on track for their worst campaign in Premier League history with Ruben Amorim unable to halt the slide after replacing Erik Ten Hag in November.
Of all the damning statistics to point to, the number of goals scored is the most alarming, with just 39 from 34 Prem games so far – only six more than relegated Ipswich.
Since 1990, only ONCE before have United ended a league season with less than 50 goals to their name, in 2015/16 with 49 under Dutchman Louis van Gaal, who was sacked minutes after lifting the FA Cup in May 2016.
United need 11 goals from their final four games to avoid that feat, having only managed to score 11 goals in their last nine outings.
There are issues for Amorim to solve all over the pitch, but attack is one that will make or break his tenure – and his current options simply aren’t up to scratch.
Hojlund’s 96th minute equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw at the Cherries on Sunday was his fourth in 29 Prem games for United this term – the same number as Marcus Rashford who made 15 league appearances before joining Aston Villa on loan on February 2.
On Instagram post match, Hojlund wrote: “We wanted the win, but I needed that.”
The injured duo of Amad Diallo and Joshua Zirkzee have a combined nine Prem goals while Alejandro Garnacho has five and skipper Bruno Fernandes has eight.
Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plus
in-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford
But the spotlight will always come back to Hojlund – the 22-year-old from Atalanta United paid £72m for in July 2023 after netting 10 goals in 34 appearances out in Italy.
His tally of 16 goals in 43 games in all competitions last term was a promising start, yet the Danish international has gone backwards since then at the worst possible time.
United are expected to conduct a mass overhaul to their squad this summer, selling underperforming, overpaid stars to raise funds for their transfer kitty.
SunSport understands that the priority is an attacking midfielder and an elite No.9, with Ipswich’s Liam Delap on the club’s radar.
Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres is still an option, while it is understood United are ready to pay the £62.5m release clause for Wolves’ Matheus Cunha.
Whoever United bring in, this will leave Hojlund in a difficult position, and Amorim is unlikely to fight his corner on this season’s showing.
After the Bournemouth draw, asked about the player’s future, Amorim was interestingly vague: “We like our strikers. We are improving our strikers. We will see what happens next season.”
United are ready to sell any first-team player that can demand a hefty fee, especially if they fail to win the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League.
And Hojlund is no exception, with clubs back in Italy showing an interest in a player that is still young and with a lot of potential.
As United legend Gary Neville explained on Sunday: “There will be a lot of clubs looking at the talent and where United haven’t got the best out of those players and thinking they can get a cheap deal on them.
“With Hojlund, there is a player in there for a club in Europe somewhere.”