Manchester United could see resurgent top-four quest derailed by Hojlund setback – opinion

Manchester United are on the back of four successive Premier League wins heading into tomorrow’s fixture against Fulham, with Rasmus Hojlund scoring in each of them.

The Dane has actually netted seven in six matches overall, marking his most prolific run of form in a red shirt thus far while also making history; his 36-second opener against Luton Town last Sunday made him the youngest-ever play to score in six straight matches.

Every time that Hojlund has had the ball in recent matches, you’ve expected to see the net ripple. His confidence is through the roof and so is supporters’ optimism in him being a world-class, clinical No.9.

However, United’s debilitating injury crisis has unfortunately taken him victim for the third time. He was already nursing an issue when he signed for the club last summer, hence why his debut came four games into the season, and he also sustained a muscle strain in November 2023 that kept him out of action for around a fortnight.

It was confirmed today that the 21-year-old had now picked up a muscle complaint again and would oversee a two-to-three-week spell on the sidelines. A gutting blow.

The Reds’ resurgent turnaround in results quickly led to the prospect of closing the gap in the top-four race and – just maybe – claiming a Champions League spot. The win against Villa directly aided the quest given their own European charge, while Tottenham Hotspur’s dropped points in previous game weeks has left United three points away from the North London outfit and five points adrift of fourth place.

Yet, without Hojlund leading the line, you can’t help but question if the team would’ve been able to claim said successive victories. They’ve scored the lowest amount of goals of any club in the top 11 of the table (35), and nine of those have been directly netted or created by the in-form youngster.

Fans, and Ten Hag for that matter, will be keeping their fingers crossed that momentum guides them through the coming weeks without a recognised centre-forward (Anthony Martial is also unavailable. Go figure.) as derby day at the Etihad on March 3 isn’t looking all too appealing right now.