Two Manchester United stars have been blamed for Rasmus Højlund’s poor form under Rúben Amorim, with one having already left Old Trafford.
Manchester United have struggled this season, with a lack of attacking threat standing out as a major concern.
Rasmus Højlund, expected to kick on after a promising debut campaign, has failed to live up to expectations. The Danish striker has scored just three Premier League goals all season and has found the net only once in his last 28 appearances for the club.
Rúben Amorim has continued to back him, largely due to a shortage of alternatives. Joshua Zirkzee was the only other senior striker in contention, but he’s now sidelined for the rest of the campaign.
Doubts are mounting over Højlund’s long-term future at Old Trafford, and unless he begins to show real signs of improvement soon, a summer exit could be on the cards.
Højlund told he has no future at United
With United looking to sign a new striker this summer, the club have been very closely linked with Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, with the 21-year-old having shown himself to be a deadly forward during his first season in the Premier League.
With this in mind, paired with Højlund’s poor form, former United defender Paul Parker now believes that Højlund’s time at United is up.
“I don’t believe Rasmus Højlund has a future at Manchester United. I think he’s done at the club. It might start as a loan move, but I find it hard to see him returning,” Parker told SpilXperten.
“If I had to sum up Højlund’s time at Manchester United, the headline would be that it’s been a disappointing stint for him. His first season was somewhat acceptable if you look at the number of goals across all competitions, but he never got into a good consistent rhythm, and this season has been well below par – for both him and the club.
“I’m sure he’s disappointed himself, but that doesn’t mean he can’t go on to have a great career. It probably just won’t be at Manchester United – at least not right now.”
Who’s at fault for Højlund’s drop in status?
Højlund did well during his opening season at United, scoring 16 goals across all competitions and becoming the youngest-ever player to score six Premier League goals in a row.
But, with the player having scored just three Premier League goals this season, Parker feels he has been let down by his teammates, singling out Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford as the main culprits for his downfall, despite the latter having already left Old Trafford on loan.
“I think it would be unfair to make him the scapegoat, because it’s the whole team around Højlund that has failed,” Parker continued. “It’s really hard to perform well as a striker when the team isn’t functioning.
“It might be easier as a goalkeeper or centre-back, but as a forward, you depend on the players behind you creating enough chances to score a decent number of goals. So his so–far–unsuccessful spell is largely due to his teammates, who have let him down.
“It involves many players, but to name just a couple, Garnacho and Rashford have especially been major obstacles for Højlund. He certainly doesn’t owe them a thank you speech if he leaves the club, because they bear a large share of the responsibility for how things have gone.”
“In addition, it’s obviously clear that the price tag has been a major pressure on him, but that’s football today. Clubs overpay, and the players suffer the consequences.
“Even though it’s become normal in football, I still feel sorry for him, as I’ve said before. He’s definitely a player and a person I hope finds great success, no matter which club he ends up at next season.”
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.