Dwight Yorke claims Hojlund is ‘nowhere near the level’ of great Man Utd strikers as he rates his debut season out of 10
DWIGHT YORKE has claimed Rasmus Hojlund is “nowhere near the level” of Manchester United’s greatest strikers.
The former Red Devils hero has also rated the Danes debut season out of 10.
GettyRasmus Hojlund is ‘nowhere near the level’ of former Manchester United strikers according to Dwight Yorke[/caption]
RexYorke has also rated the Danish forwards first season at Old Trafford out of 10[/caption]
Hojlund joined United from Atalanta last summer in a deal worth £72million.
However, Yorke has revealed he had not heard of the 21-year-old before his arrival.
He told the Daily Mail: “The fear of playing against Rooney, Van Nistelrooy, Yorke, Cole, Mark Hughes [is gone]. And now you’ve got Rasmus. It’s nowhere near the level.
“As a defender, you’re like: ‘This is going to be a stroll in the park coming to Old Trafford.’ That’s never been the case.
“We used to be a nightmare to defend against with Rooney and Ronaldo, the attackers we had.
“He’s relatively unknown. He comes into the Premier League and I’d never heard of him, didn’t know where he came from before.”
Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final, Hojlund has scored 16 goals and provided two assists in 42 appearances for United.
He is currently the club’s top scorer this term and ended the Premier League campaign with 10 strikes in 30 matches.
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SunSport’s verdict on Man Utd flops
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have a busy summer ahead to get Man Utd’s squad in order for next season. Below SunSport gives it verdict on how they should deal with the Red Devils flops this summer.
Andre Onana – STAY: After a dodgy start at Old Trafford Onana has proven to be one of the more reliable members of the squad this season despite being peppered with shots constantly.
Altay Bayindir – GO: Reports in February suggested Bayindir was unhappy with his bit part role at Man Utd amid interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray. If profit can be made on a sale then it should be done.
Tom Heaton – STAY: Veteran goalkeeper Heaton, 38, is a reliable back-up and is on a relatively small wage at the club. So long as he is happy it makes sense to keep him.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – GO: Wan-Bissaka, 26, has never managed to make the right-back position his own. With his contract up in 2025 it makes sense to cash in now.
Diogo Dalot – STAY: Dalot, 26, has been one of Man Utd’s most consistent performers this season.
Raphael Varane – GO: If it wasn’t for his injury record there would be a strong shout to keep Varane, but costs need to be cut to allow the squad to be freshened up.
Harry Maguire – GO: Maguire has showed he has the right character to be at Man Utd but overall ability and desired profile are another matter, with Maguire too slow to play in a high line defence.
Lisandro Martinez – STAY: Martinez, 26, is second to none in terms of build up play. He needs a long-term defensive partner on the right side and to cut out the injuries which have plagued him this season.
Jonny Evans – GO: Veteran campaigner Evans could easily be on the stay list if he was only going to be a bit part player. But he has shown his advanced years at times this season.
Victor Lindelof – GO: Lindelof, 29, has been reliable if not unremarkable in his Man Utd career. He has one year left on his contract so should be moved on if a decent transfer fee can be got for him.
Willy Kambwala – STAY: He should be given the opportunity to mature for a few years behind a senior CB pairing before stepping into the first team as a starter or being moved on.
Luke Shaw – GO: One of the Premier League’s best left-backs when fit, Shaw has been a good servant when available. But alas that has been his Achilles heel once again this season.
Tyrell Malacia – STAY: Malacia, 24, was decent enough to earn some merit in his first season at Man Utd before injury ended his season and inadvertently led to his second season being a write off.
Sofyan Amrabat – GO: Amrabat, 27, looked like a world beater at the Qatar World Cup with Morocco. But he’s had an underwhelming season in England and his loan spell will almost certainly not be made permanent.
Casemiro – GO: An alarming physical decline has seen him turn from key star to burden. If a club is willing to buy the 32-year-old – who has two more years on his contract – then United should snatch their hand off.
Christian Eriksen – GO: Eriksen proved a useful asset and Ineos should look to bring in another player with similar traits, but frankly his legs have looked gone towards the end of this season.
Kobbie Mainoo – STAY: The first of the so-called untouchables, Mainoo has been a rare glimmer of hope in the Red Devils midfield this season.
Mason Mount – STAY: Mount can be given the benefit of the doubt until summer 2025 at least after a debut season riddled with injury.
Scott McTominay – STAY: McTominay, 27, has proven himself to be a brilliant plan B off the bench this season, and that is exactly why Ineos should look to keep him.
Bruno Fernandes – STAY: Man Utd’s best player since his arrival just over four years ago, Fernandes, 29, remains second-to-none when it comes to creating chances while his tenacity boosts those around him.
Antony – GO: There’s a case to argue that Antony may be the worst pound-for-pound signing in Premier League history. Despite some memorable moments he simply isn’t Man Utd quality.
Anthony Martial – GO: Ultimately Martial needs to be let go when his deal runs out this summer after an appalling injury record of late.
Marcus Rashford – STAY: As easy as it would be to say Rashford should leave the club this summer, it is difficult to look at the market and find many available players capable of scoring 30 goals a season.
Alejandro Garnacho – STAY: Another third of the untouchables trio, Garnacho has made the right-wing his own since coming into it. He’s a raw talent but has shown he has the quality to improve.
Rasmus Hojlund – STAY: A slow burner in his first Man Utd season, the 21-year-old has often been starved of supply which has led to him being unable to get the goals his movement and unselfish play often merits.
Amad Diallo – STAY: In the fleeting moments he has been on the pitch for Man Utd this season, Diallo has looked dangerous and exciting. He should be given a chance to flourish with some proper chances in the first team across a whole season.
However, he had to wait until Boxing Day to open his account and Yorke has not held back in his assessment of the young forward.
The 52-year-old added: “At 21 he’s coming into a team that’s really struggling and not playing good football, so I feel for him in that sense.
“In terms of his overall play, his impact in the game, being a defenders’ nightmare, it’s very difficult for a kid.
“I’d give his season a 5 out of 10 – and that’s me being generous.
“He had a bit of luck to score the goals he managed to score, and that’s fantastic, I’m happy for him.
“I’m very undecided. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. I will see if there’s any progress next season.
“This is a top club. This is no Mickey Mouse club. This is a proper football club. Right now from what I’ve seen, he’s not where a Man United number nine should be.”
Yorke claimed the Premier League golden boot and finished as the Champions League’s top scorer as United won the treble during his debut season at Old Trafford.
Across four years with the club, he scored 66 goals in 152 appearances.
Although Hojlund’s goal tally this season does not compare to Yorke’s first year with the Red Devils, he stacks up well against other current Premier League forwards.
His 10 league goals came from just 38 shots at a conversion rate of 26.3 per cent.
As a result, he ranks sixth out of 133 players who attempted 30 plus shots during the season.
Hojlund ended the campaign with a better conversion rate than Erling Haaland, Ollie Watkins, Nicolas Jackson and Darwin Nunez.
Meanwhile, he ranks narrowly behind Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
The Denmark international still has a chance of silverware this term as United face Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
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