Manchester United players slammed for making Rasmus Højlund a “childish” striker

Ex-defender Paul Parker has slammed the Manchester United squad for making Rasmus Højlund a “childish” player during his first season at Old Trafford.

Rasmus Højlund is the club’s second top scorer this season, having scored 14 goals across all competitions in 45 games, bettered only by Bruno Fernandes on 15.

The 21-year-old striker has endured a tough first campaign at Old Trafford, having arrived from Atalanta for £72 million last summer. Injury, goal droughts, and poor form from his fellow forwards have left him struggling for goals.

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14 goals across the campaign so far, considering all the problems, is a very respectable tally for someone in their debut season—he has the highest goals-per-90 ratio within the team (0.43).

However, former United defender Paul Parker believes that Højlund is showing some traits that will not be received well by the club’s fans.

Højlund’s becoming “childish”

Speaking after Monday night’s loss against Crystal Palace, Parker explained that Højlund is “behaving really childishly” currently, but he feels this is only because he is being influenced by others around him.

“If we’re going to talk about Højlund, he’s in a very bad place at the moment,” Parker described to Danish outlet Tipsbladet.

“He’s behaving really childishly at the moment, and it seems like his teammates have had a negative influence on him because they also behave that way. He’s a big guy, but he keeps throwing himself, and it’s annoying to watch.”

“The fans in Manchester are also talking about being irritated with Højlund because he’s gotten into a rhythm where he blames others for not going well for him at the moment. It’s just important to remember that the whole team is playing terribly. It’s not just Højlund’s fault, but he’s part of the problem.”