Man Utd players reluctant to pass to Rasmus Hojlund amid goal drought

Several players are reportedly reluctant to pass to Rasmus Hojlund with the striker suffering from a second dry spell in front of goal.

United splashed out £72m to sign the international from Atalanta last summer and it to register his first goal.

Hojlund then hit an impressive purple patch, producing seven goals and two assists in six top-flight games across December, January and February.

The 21-year-old picked up an injury, though, and has not looked the same player since, scoring just once across his last 10 matches in all appearances.

That goal came against Sheffield United in April, a side who sit at the bottom of the Premier League.

It has now emerged that a number of United players are ‘unconvinced’ by Hojlundand have become reluctant to pass the ball to him in the final third.

That’s according to the who report that several stars are concerned over Hojlund’s poor spell in front of goal.

It is believed that some players have started seeking ‘alternative options’ in the final third to avoid giving the ball to Hojlund.

Hojlund only received the ball 14 times during the 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.

His teammates have created just six chances for Hojlund in his last eight Premier League games. By comparison, Manchester City players created six chances for Erling Haaland in a single game earlier this month when he scored four in a 5-1 win over Wolves.

Hojlund has scored more goals (eight) in the Premier League this season than any player under the age of 21 in the competition.

He has scored 22 per cent of his shots in the Premier League – a conversion rate better than Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz this term.

That conversion rate is also higher than Nicolas Jackson, Mohamed Salah, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.