Danny Murphy issues withering Rasmus Hojlund assessment amid Man Utd struggles - The Mirror

Rasmus Hojlund has endured a disappointing debut season with Manchester United having been signed for £72million, with the Dane scoring just once since mid-February

Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy has insisted he remains doubtful that Rasmus Hojlund will ever live up to his £72million price tag.

The Dane arrived last summer to lead the line for Manchester United, but has scored just eight Premier League goals this season. In fact, the 21-year-old has hit the back of the net just once since mid-February, in what has been a disappointing debut campaign.

Hojlund's struggles have been a symptom of wider problems at Old Trafford, with United enduring a miserable second year under Erik ten Hag's management. Many of the Dutchman's problems stem from poor recruitment.

And Murphy believes that Hojlund could prove to be another waste of money. He negatively compared the Dane to Liverpool star Darwin Nunez, who has also endured a mixed time since making a club-record move to Anfield.

While Nunez has proven to be an erratic player, Murphy has seen enough to suggest he can be successful. But the pundit cannot say the same of Hojlund, who he insists is not 'quick, skilful or clever enough'.

"I’m dubious about whether Rasmus Hojlund is the world-class No 9 United need. There is nothing in his game that scares defenders. I contrast him to Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez, who is erratic but will do a mad bit of skill or make an aggressive dash to cause some problems for defenders," Murphy told the Daily Mail.

"Hojlund is not quick, skilful or clever enough for that ‘Wow’ factor. He’s 21 and has time to develop. But right now, he is not a Champions League or Premier League-winning No 9."

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Earlier this month, Ten Hag admitted that Hojlund was not his first-choice striker target in the summer. Instead, he wanted to sign Harry Kane, though the United boss has tipped Hojlund to enjoy similar success to the England captain.

"In the last decade and in this period, we couldn't always get the players we wanted. But then you have to build and you have to accept that you get talent in instead of players who already proved it in the past," he told Sky Sports.

"We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund. I can see a striker who already proved it, who we want to sign and we couldn't get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he's a talent.'

"You know Harry Kane will get you 30 goals. I think Rasmus will get there, but he needs time. It's not fair to assess him the same as Harry Kane. I would never compare two players because they are very different.

"But with Hojlund, I think we had the biggest potential in the striker position last summer and we are very happy with him. But he also needs time to adapt and we are very pleased he showed his assets in scoring goals."

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