It has been an incredibly difficult season in front of goal for Manchester United’s attackers, but Rasmus Hojlund’s 99th-minute equaliser against Bournemouth has come at a key time for the player and the club.
Rasmus Højlund turned Manuel Ugarte‘s flick on in the box over the line to secure a late point for United on the south coast, and celebrated emphatically, having struggled for goals this season – this being his fourth in the Premier League.
It was a scrappy goal, but they all count, and those are the goals United have often struggled to score, so it is encouraging both for the Danish forward and for the team that they were able to force the ball over the line.
The timing of this goal doesn’t just come at a key point in the context of the game, but actually in the context of United’s season as a whole, given the importance of the upcoming Europa League fixtures that Ruben Amorim‘s side will be playing.
Here, UtdDistrict discusses why this goal could be a turning point in a difficult season for both Højlund and the team.
Højlund thrives off confidence, opportunity to build on this
As is often the case with young strikers, Rasmus Højlund thrives off confidence and it is clear to see how much of a difference it makes to his game both in the good stretches and the bad ones. When it rains, it pours with him.
It was thought that after his goal against Leicester City, the 22-year-old would be able to build on it and start to hit some goalscoring form for United. The international break acted as a disruptor though, and whilst he scored against Portugal for Denmark, he didn’t come back in the vein of form people hoped for.
Now, he hasn’t got an international break or anything that could potentially get in the way. He is with United until the end of the season, which should make it easier for him to break out of the period of struggle he has been going through in recent months.
With key games coming up in the Europa League and Højlund being Rúben Amorim’s only available striker, he has a chance to put together some form in a tournament he already has five goals in this season.
As he put perfectly in an eight-word message following the Bournemouth draw, “We wanted the win, but I needed that.”
United’s season is the Europa League now
It cannot be overstated just how important it is for United to win the Europa League, for several reasons. The season hinges on it, and the knock-on effect will be felt for a couple of seasons going forward.
Højlund has had a lot of backing from Amorim, and it is clear that Amorim likes him and wants to see him succeed. But at the same time, he wants to see him kick on now, and an in-form Højlund could well be what spearheads United to European glory.
Key players in the side have consistently gotten behind Højlund too, including club captain Bruno Fernandes, who spoke about him after the Bournemouth game to explain the demand there is for the striker to score goals but also express his happiness at seeing him score.
Fernandes in particular is someone who would greatly benefit from an in-form Højlund, it would make his job as the team’s primary creator a lot easier and also reduce the level of responsibility he has to take on – he has been carrying United at points this season.
Rasmus Højlund is clearly an extremely talented player who has been having a difficult season, but if he hits form now, it would be coming at the most crucial point of the season with the Europa League on the line, and you know what they say, better late than never.
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