Roy Keane provided a brutal assessment of one Manchester United star towards the end of last season and Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed his true transfer intentions.
After a dismal 2024/25 season, Manchester United are working tirelessly to turn things around ahead of the new campaign.
Matheus Cunha has already been brought in, with Bryan Mbeumo likely to follow, and further signings are expected once the club offloads some players.
Ruben Amorim’s task isn’t limited to new arrivals; he must also get more out of the current squad, many of whom failed to deliver last season.
Some of those players are linked with exits from the club, however, after dismal personal campaigns led to doubts over their futures.
Keane’s brutal assessment of United star
Rasmus Højlund is among a group of players who woefully underperformed last term, with just four Premier League goals across the campaign.
The Dane ended the season very poorly, which earned him a lot of criticism, including from United legend Roy Keane after defeat to Chelsea in May.
“They have got no striker. He looked like he had just come out of the academy,” Keane told Sky Sports when assessing Højlund’s performance.
“His runs weren’t right, his timing, his hold-up play. Again, if you’re a striker playing for Man United… even for the whole team, one shot on target?”
“We keep making excuses for him. We talk about confidence, but you still think, when you’re a striker, you have to make something happen sometimes.
“What the big clubs have – and what United have always had – is strikers who can produce something for themselves even if they’re not getting great service. They produce something because they have quality, “a bit of determination, a bit of experience, football intelligence.
“We don’t see that with Hojlund. His side are up against it all the time. Obviously he needs a little bit of support, but, my goodness, sometimes you have just got to do a little bit better.”
Fabrizio Romano confirms Højlund’s true transfer intentions
Højlund has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in recent weeks due to his poor performances since arriving in 2023.
Inter Milan are among the clubs interested in the player but the majority of potential offers for the United striker will be on loan, which is not what the club will want.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano that the 22-year-old wants to stay at United and will not look for a move away unless he is directly told there are no plans for him at the club anymore.
Højlund himself claimed that he was planning to return next term and that he wants to have a good pre-season this summer after both of his last two summers were interrupted.
“I have a contract until 2030, so I expect to play for Manchester United. I’m looking forward to going on a summer vacation, and then I’m fully dedicated to the project that’s underway,” the Dane said whilst on international duty.
“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 pre-season.”
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