Rasmus Hojlund 'shaking in his pants' as Man Utd striker dealt fresh blow

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has found things tough at club and international level over the last 12 months and he has been handed a painful wake-up call
As if his dismal Manchester United season wasn't bad enough, Rasmus Hojlund has seen his stock fall at international level. The Danish international has eight goals for his country, but only one of those has arrived since the end of 2023, and there's now a feeling he's no longer an automatic starter.
Hojlund scored just five Premier League goals at club level last season, though his Europa League exploits allowed him to reach double figures in all competitions. He started the first game in Denmark's friendly double-header, drawing a blank against Northern Ireland, and dropped to the bench for the meeting with Lithuania on Tuesday.
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One man who has found goals much easier to come by at club level is compatriot Mika Biereth. The former Arsenal youngster hit the ground running for Monaco after joining in January, and made his senior international bow against Portugal in March.
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It was Biereth, not Hojlund, who partnered Kasper Dolberg up front in the Lithuania friendly. The 22-year-old wasted little time finding the net for the first time at senior international level, scoring the first of five Danish goals, and came in for praise post-match as compatriot Hojlund got a reminder of the challenge ahead.
"Rasmus Hojlund must be shaking his pants by now. He has been overtaken," Danish outlet Bold's player ratings read, describing Bieret as "constantly poisonous near the goal" after he also drew the last-man foul which saw Lithuania's Edgaras Utkus sent off before half-time.
Hojlund has been linked with a summer move away from Old Trafford, with reports of interest from Serie A. Champions League finalists Inter Milan are among those linked, but the striker has showed no signs he's looking to move on.
"No. As I've told you before, I try to stay away from all that, because it's both for better and for worse these days," he told Ekstra Bladet during the June international break.
"I know I can't get much out of reading things. I know what the facts are, and that is that I have a contract with Manchester United until 2030. I expect to play there, so I'm just getting ready for some summer vacation and then hopefully a good preseason."
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Back in February, Denmark coach Brian Riemer also talked up Hojlund's club colleague Chido Obi. The teenage striker made his senior United debut under Ruben Amorim in February, but was with Denmark's Under-20s rather than their senior squad during the most recent break.
"Try to think about how many times we have sat with a Danish national team and said: 'We are missing players, when will some strikers come?'," Riemer told Viaplay (via Tipsbladet). "We have so many young players, some of them may be just young enough to break through, but how great is it that we have so many knocking on the door – I think that is important to say."
However, he also suggested Obi was some way away from a senior interntional bow, adding: "The senior national team requires one more step – you need to come in and play more regularly before the senior national team is an option for you. It's hard to get there if you don't play regularly for your club team."
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