Ruben Amorim has been told by a Manchester United legend that one of his underperforming players will be able to turn things around at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have had a dreadful season that can only be somewhat salvaged by the chance of them winning the Europa League.
Even if that does happen, Ruben Amorim’s side would have still broken all of the wrong records in the Premier League, with the team currently sitting in 14th place.
The major problem for United this term has been their dreadful attack. Only two players have over five Premier League goals – one of those is Amad, who has been injured for over two months.
Rasmus Højlund scored 10 in the Premier League last term but has netted just three times this time around. There was an expectation that he would take forward steps but instead they have been backwards.
The Danish striker is the club’s only fit senior striker right now due to Joshua Zirkzee’s recent injury but there haven’t really been any signs to suggest that he can turn his form around, and that has led to doubts over his future with the club.
Schmeichel tells Amorim that Højlund can turn things around
Despite his issues across the season, Højlund has been backed to turn things around by fellow Dane and United legend Peter Schmeichel.
The ex-goalkeeper believes that Højlund is currently suffering from confidence issues – the same as many players in the United squad.
But with a strong mentality and the quality he possesses, Schmeichel believes that Højlund can turn things around at Old Trafford and become a “very valuable player” for the club.
“The boy is very, very talented,” Schmeichel told the PA news agency ahead of United’s clash against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.
“He’s like every other player in that squad – of course short of confidence. Everyone. This is the big thing. Once you don’t win games, the confidence levels drop so it’s been a tough one.
“I mean, he will come through it. He’s so strong mentally. He will come through it. He’s got really, really good support from his family as well and I know what he can do.
“Hopefully there’s a bit of success left in this team, and you bring that into your break, you come back in a different frame of mind, new season.
“I’m convinced that he’s still a very, very valuable player for Manchester United.”
Højlund has to work hard to turn United fortunes around
There seems to be almost no chance that Højlund will be leading the line for United next term, with the club looking for a striker in the summer transfer window.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean his time at Old Trafford is over, and a potential rotation role, where he can come off the bench more often, would be beneficial for the 22-year-old.
Taking away the burden of being the main striker could be exactly what he needs to get back on the right track in terms of his development.
On paper, with his attributes, Højlund seems like he should become a good enough player to add value to United. However, we’ve learnt more than ever this term that nothing is guaranteed to translate from paper to the pitch.
Højlund will need to work extremely hard to prove that he has a future at Old Trafford, and Schmeichel seems to think he has what it takes to turn things around.
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