A MANCHESTER UNITED legend has told Rasmus Hojlund the X-rated instructions he needs to scream at his team-mates after a shock stat emerged.
The Danish forward, 20, joined the Red Devils from Atalanta for £72m last summer.
He scored five times in the Champions League group stages for them but the star has struggled so far domestically.
But he finally ended his 1016 minute and 15 game drought by scoring the winner in the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in December and has since scored against both Wigan and Newport in the FA Cup as well as Tottenham in the Premier League.
Hojlund has faced criticism for his lack of Premier League goals from several United legends. Ex-United star Paul Scholes said that he was “lucky to be on the pitch” after his barren run.
However, fellow Red Devils legend Paul Parker defended him and claimed that the forward must be “frustrated” by his team-mates over the lack of opportunities they are creating for him.
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Now a shock stat has emerged that only Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have actually created more than one opportunity for him in open play in the top-flight.
And, according to The Analyst, The cumulative xG assisted value of all open-play chance-creating passes to Hojlund in the Premier League is just 1.30.
That makes him joint-93rd in the whole league with even Aston Villa right-back Matt Cash (1.9) higher up than him.
But Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov, who won four trophies, including two titles, with the Red Devils and scored 56 goals in 149 appearances before leaving for Fulham in 2012 has told the youngster exactly what to say to wingers Antony and Alejandro Garnacho.
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He told Betfair: “Antony and Garnacho are not providing much for Rasmus Hojlund at the minute, are they? I saw frustration in Hojlund in the last match.
“I saw Hojlund making runs and the ball was not coming to him. This is how football is sometimes. If this was Benzema with what he’s achieved in football, it would be enough for Garnacho and Antony to respect him even more and to know when they get the ball, they need to cross it straight away to Benzema.
“That’s how the authority and reputation of a player can influence you. You need to look good in Benzema’s eyes so you’ll give him the ball.
“Hojlund is not yet there – and because of this, sometimes he doesn’t get the service he needs because his reputation in football is not that big.
“When it’s not then the wingers will try to make themselves look good rather than cross the ball to Hojlund to score and take the glory. That’s sometimes okay, but most of the time, when your teammate is in a better scoring position than you, it doesn’t matter who he is, you cross the ball.
“You make him look good because the whole team will benefit, especially if he’s a striker because strikers’ egos and moods depend on the goals they’re scoring.
“When you’re a winger, one of your most important jobs is to beat people and cross the ball for your strikers.”
Can’t be afraid
Berbatov then said: “He must be angry. He needs to be angry. Don’t be shy. On the pitch, scream, yell, swear, show aggression towards your teammates that you’re demanding the ball.
“You’re making runs for your teammates and they need to respect the runs and give you the ball.
“Don’t be afraid. You need to say, ‘guys, I’m here to score goals – give me the f***ing ball’. Of course, nobody needs to take this personally, this is and it always will be professional.
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“When you step on to the pitch you respect your teammates for the runs they make, for the effort they put in, especially if they’re a striker, give him the ball. He’s going to make runs, but at one point he’s going to be like, ‘I’m not going to run anymore because the ball isn’t coming’.
“But also, this is also down to the manager and coaches – they need to step up. When they do the video analysis after the game, show the players, ‘Hojlund is doing great movement, you need to give him the ball more’.”
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Gary Stonehouse
