Manchester United lost 1-0 against Wolves on Sunday afternoon and it was a similar story of missed chances for Ruben Amorim’s side.
It was no surprise to see Ruben Amorim rotate his Manchester United squad against Wolves following a gruelling 120-minute outing on Thursday night.
The performance reflected the absence of Bruno Fernandes in the midfield. When he was introduced in the second half, he instantly created United’s best opportunity of the match.
However, Rasmus Højlund failed to make contact—mirroring his struggles throughout the afternoon—and United were left to regret their missed chances once again when Pablo Sarabia struck with a free-kick.
United had 12 shots in the game but many of their missed chances came through the lack of a finish at the end of a cross. Højlund now has just one goal in his last 28 appearances.
Højlund’s terrible display vs Wolves defined by five moments
For so long this season, there was more sympathy than criticism for Højlund, who seemed to be getting no chances in a United shirt.
Against Wolves, the Dane had just one shot before he was substituted for Chido Obi on 70 minutes. If you didn’t watch the game, you may argue that it was another afternoon of poor service for the striker.
However, when you look at the game – and many others this term – the United striker is showing “terrible” movement inside the penalty box and that was the case again this weekend.
He was inches away from scoring at the back post from Alejandro Garnacho’s cross in the second half. But he always seems to be inches away from these chances.
There were four more chances in the first-half which summed up Højlund’s struggles. Harry Amass whipped two brilliant crosses in from the left before Patrick Dorgu did the same from the opposite flank.
All four times, Højlund made the wrong run or too busy wrestling with the centre-backs. All of them were wasted and no shots were made.
Højlund doesn’t seem to be learning from mistakes
Movement in and around the box has one of Højlund’s many problems at Old Trafford this season.
However, the concerning thing is that we’re not just seeing a lack of improvements but he is getting worse at these things. There are no signs that he’s learning from these moments.
Joshua Zirkzee’s injury means that there is less chance of Højlund coming out of the team but Chido Obi has shown that he offers just as much as the Dane, once again impressing with his cameo off the bench.
It is hard to tell where these improvements are going to come from for Højlund. United fans will be hoping a switch will flick and he will start finding the right positions in the box to score.
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