Manchester United are considering parting ways with Rasmus Hojlund, according to a new report – and a Premier League club have 'identified' the striker as a potential summer target.
Hojlund, who joined United from Serie A side Atalanta in 2023 for a reported £72 million, ended his debut campaign at Old Trafford with 16 goals in all competitions.
Erik ten Hag often reiterated his belief in Hojlund's ability to lead the line, and after ending last season as their top scorer, many assumed he would continue that form into the Ruben Amorim era.
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But the Danish forward has struggled to pin down regular minutes under Amorim, with last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace being a telling moment in his season so far.
Instead of selecting any of his forward players, the Portuguese coach deployed Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine while Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee were left to ponder matters on the substitutes bench.
Now, a report from TeamTalk has emerged that suggests Amorim is 'not convinced' by Hojlund and as a result, the club are considering parting ways with the player this summer.
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The publication suggests United have already accepted they won't be able to recoup the £72 million paid in 2023, with sources stating that an offer of just £40 million could be enough to sign him.
In addition to the above, it is said West Ham are interested in Hojlund and have identified the 22-year-old as a potential target for the summer window should they decide against making Evan Ferguson’s loan from Brighton permanent.
The Hammers want to reduce the average age of their squad and see the Denmark international as someone who could fit into Graham Potter's plans.
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After their 1-0 win over Fulham on January 26, Ruben Amorim gave a fascinating insight into Hojlund's form of late.
"He wants it really hard and you can see it sometimes that without training, there is a disconnection," Amorim said.
"We can explain, but without training sometimes it goes away, when he should be near, sometimes he’s near when he should make a run.
"We don’t have time to make this connection, we don’t train these kinds of things, we just talk about these things. He has a lot to improve, like his team-mates.
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"Sometimes you have a good game, other days you cannot have a good performance. The important thing is that I see every day that he wants it really bad."
Amorim added: "He talks about that [he] wants to train a little bit more in the end of trainings and that is the best thing to improve. But as a footballer, and he’s a young guy, he has to understand that sometimes you have a bad game, but you have to continue to go to the next."
Thoughts on Hojlund's future? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Manchester United, Rasmus Hojlund, Premier League, Transfers, Ruben Amorim
Jack Kenmare