Andy Cole urges Rasmus Højlund to stop “obsession” in order to score more goals, Man Utd fans will agree

Manchester United legend Andy Cole has advised Rasmus Højlund to stop one “obsession” so that he can score more goals.

Højlund, 21, has netted 14 times during his first season at United but has also gone through long spells without scoring. He has one goal in his last 10 appearances.

Yet, being the striker in Erik ten Hag’s side is a difficult job right now. The team as a whole have underwhelmed, and so Højlund’s opportunities in front of goal have been scarce.

It is clear that the 21-year-old has tons of talent and his goalscoring record this term is respectable considering the circumstances.

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But Andy Cole, an expert in front of goal, believes that Højlund needs to stop trying to wrestle with defenders and instead focus on getting more touches on the ball and finding space.

Cole’s advice for Højlund

Speaking on The Overlap, Cole was asked by Gary Neville if he had any advice for Højlund, who is without an experienced striker to learn from at Old Trafford.

“Yeah, I think, especially watching him again on Saturday, because the game’s changed so much, he has an obsession to want to fight the centre-half. Don’t need to. Not in a modern-day game,” explained Cole.

“You know, back in the days when you’ve got Sparky (Mark Hughes), yeah, that’s totally different. You know, but now, he has this big obsession, ‘I’ve got to fight him, I’ve got to know where he is, I’ve got to have a little tussle with him’.

“He’s fighting and tussling so much he doesn’t get hold of the ball. You know, just play freely. Get hold of the ball.

“Because in the way the game’s played now, yeah, you can do it all day long because you’ll nick a foul, you know.

“So when you’re hustling, fighting, whatever, what centre-forward do you see play like that now in the Premier League?”

Fans will agree

While every United fan will be urging Højlund to score goals and improve his game to become a top striker for the club, most will also be in agreement with Cole.

Højlund seems to be trying to impose his physicality too much, and we all know how dangerous he is when the ball is at his feet or he is running into space.

It seems that the striker needs some more time to adapt to the best way to play against Premier League defences, and signing an experienced striker in the summer window could help him.