Michael Owen makes bold Erling Haaland claim after admitting he “feels sorry” for Manchester United star

Michael Owen has made a bold claim about Erling Haaland when discussing the difficulties Manchester United are experiencing up front.

Manchester United have endured a disappointing season, with Rasmus Højlund standing out as one of the biggest underperformers.

The Danish striker arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2023, joining from Atalanta for £73 million. Despite a challenging debut campaign, he still managed to score 16 goals across all competitions.

After a promising first season, expectations were high for Højlund to take the next step, but the reality has been far different.

This season, he has scored just seven times in all competitions, with only two goals in the Premier League. After 35 appearances, he is currently on an 18-game goal drought.

Beyond his struggles in front of goal, his overall performances have dipped, raising concerns about his long-term future at the club.

Owen makes bold Haaland claim after discussing Højlund problems

Some have suggested that Højlund’s difficulties are not just down to his form but also the fact that United are unable to create many chances for their strikers.

This is an opinion which ex-Red Michael Owen echoes, with the Ballon d’Or winner claiming that he “feels sorry” for Hojlund, who is in a “graveyard position”.

In fact, Owen even made a bold claim to say that Erling Haaland would not score half of the goals he has been scoring at United’s rivals if he played at Old Trafford.

“Back in the day, it was every striker’s dream to be a Manchester United striker because you’re virtually guaranteed to be one of the top scorers in the league,” Owen told BoyleSports when asked about Højlund.

“Look at the names that have worn the shirt over the years. Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney. You’re banging in goals left, right and centre. 

“Nowadays, you could put Erling Haaland up there and he wouldn’t score half the goals that he scores at Manchester City. It’s been a graveyard position over the last decade. So I absolutely do feel sorry for him.”

Højlund needs to be benched at United

Højlund’s problems are likely to be somewhere in the middle. He definitely does not make the correct movements and decisions in the final third enough, but he also has a difficult role that is made even harder when low on confidence.

The main issue is that it’s currently difficult to take him out of the team due to the low numbers United have, but it would probably be the best thing for him.

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The Dane could move out of the limelight and try and make an impact against tired legs later in games rather than starting every match.

Joshua Zirkzee has been playing as a no.10 recently but Amorim may look to put him back up front so that Højlund can come out of the team for the time being.

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