Dwight Yorke still harbours concerns over Rasmus Hojlund’s goalscoring form for Manchester United.
The young Dane’s performances prior to his injury setback had silenced the majority of his critics, but he seemingly still has work to do on convincing Yorke.
As has always been the case with a blockbuster Red Devils signing, all eyes are on them from the get-go. Realistically, the club don’t help themselves by agreeing to pay a ridiculously inflated United tax on almost every purchase; Antony cost £86 million, Mason Mount was bought for £60 million (despite having just one year remaining on his Chelsea contract) and Hojlund, £72 million.
Although he was just 20 at the time of signing, Hojlund was acquired to be Erik ten Hag’s starting No.9 this term, so when it took him 15 matches to open his Premier League account, there were concerns over his suitability for the role.
He had, however, hit the ground running in the Champions League, having scored five times in six group-stage matches before United exited the competition.
Such prolific form was then finally on show in the top flight after his maiden goal – he’s now netted seven goals in total, and in February, Hojlund made PL history by becoming the youngest-ever player to score in six straight matches.
Yorke still unconvinced by Hojlund
Yorke shared his fresh verdict on the forward recently, admitting that while he was pleased to see his contributions increase, Hojlund is still not at the level he would expect.
“I think optimistic is probably the right word at this moment in time,” the treble winner told talkSPORT. “I’m very pleased he’s managed to get a few goals recently.
“When you go to United and you get off to a very bad start, which he did, you just question whether he’s ever going to return [the goals]. He’s young, he’s playing in a team that is struggling and is inconsistent, so it’s very difficult circumstances for him to come into, especially with such a big price tag.
“That’s a lot to ask of a young man. But with a bit of perseverance, he’s showing signs. He’s still not convincing enough for me at the moment but I’m happy that he’s at least got some goals.”