Why did Man Utd choose to buy Hojlund?
"We will do everything in our power to buy another striker. We need to get it done as soon as possible, so that he can be in pre-season to get used to the dressing room and the style of the game. team", Ten Hag said about the urgency of recruiting strikers during the tour in the US.
In the 2022-2023 season, after Cristiano Ronaldo left, the fact that Man Utd created many opportunities and squandered a lot of them made them crave for a top-class striker. Marcus Rashford sublimated with 30 goals on all fronts, but he often only created more mutations when he played on the wing, Anthony Martial was constantly injured and Wout Weghorst was just the solution. Therefore, buying a striker is Man Utd's priority since the summer transfer window opens.
Limited budget and the acquisitions of Mason Mount and Andre Onana make it impossible for Man Utd to pursue the top target for a striker like Harry Kane or Victor Osimhen - who are shouted at by the host club for more than $ 150 million. "Red Devils" are forced to choose a more reasonable option, which can come with less financial risk.
In the end, Man Utd chose Hojlund when accepting to pay Atalanta a transfer fee of $ 83 million, with an additional $ 11 million. Atalanta do not want to sell Hojlund, and the Danish striker also has four years left on his contract. But the huge transfer fee that Man Utd offered made the Italian club unable to refuse.
Hojlund's scoring record in Serie A last season was not outstanding - just nine goals in 32 games. But the playing style of the 20-year-old striker is in line with the requirements of coach Erik ten Hag - a player who is ready to run behind the opponent's defense, link attacks, press enthusiastically and, of course, have strong presence in the penalty area.
Last season, one of United's main problems was simply scoring enough goals. The number of 11.4 goals below expectations, excluding penalties, of the "Red Devils" is the third worst in the Premier League, only less than the almost relegated club Everton and Chelsea - the team that experienced a chaotic first season. under the new owner and changed the coach three times. And Man Utd's 58 Premier League goals are also the lowest in the top 6, and only seven more than relegated Leicester.
Man Utd have not been able to improve this problem in the pre-season, when Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, Alejandro Garnacho or rookie Mason Mount all squandered opportunities in the 0-2 loss to Real in the US.
After the match, Ten Hag admitted that Man Utd must finish better, and once again emphasized the need to recruit a striker. "We create a lot of good chances, but we need to save and score from those situations," said the 53-year-old coach. "We had about three or four good chances, kept the game until the last minute and then conceded the second. But we are trying to sign the striker. Man Utd will do everything to make it happen. get this done".
The Athletic comments Hojlund seems to be the useful solution to such problems. The Danish forward had an expected goal (xG) stat without penalties of 0.47 over 90 minutes in Serie A last season, ranking fifth among players to play at least 900 minutes in the league. And he almost lived up to expectations, averaging 0.44 goals over 90 minutes, excluding penalties. This stat shows that Hojlund often scores when he is expected - a quality that Man Utd desperately needs. Few strikers under the age of 23 in any of Europe's top five leagues (England Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1) performed better than Hojlund last season.
The 20-year-old striker can also quickly integrate into the competitive environment in the Premier League thanks to his physical strength and speed - two characteristics suitable for transition situations under Ten Hag. "Hojlund is very fast, runs 100m in under 11 seconds without even trying. He is 1.91 meters tall, but Hojlund has a low center of gravity and can move his feet very quickly," Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini once said of school. trick.
Last season, United had 143 direct attacks – defined as situations where they had possession of the ball from their own half that resulted in a shot or touch in the opposition box in 15 seconds. This is the most stat in the Premier League, and shows that improved transitions are key to Ten Hag's successful debut season.
Hojlund has shown dizzying speed many times last season, often speeding past opposing players to catch the ball. The clearest proof came in the 2-0 win at Lazio in February. At that time, Jose Luis Palomino took the ball and passed it to Ademola Lookman to escape down the left wing. At this point, Hojlund was still in the center circle, but immediately sped up to get to the penalty spot in four seconds, then picked up a buffer position into an empty net from Lookman's cross.
This ball shows that Hojlund has two criteria that Ten Hag wants in a striker, is to choose a good position in the penalty area and be strong in the counter-attack.
The goal against Lazio is also the type of movement that Hojlund loves. Catching the ball and finishing from the cross is part of the 22-year-old striker's attacking skill set, and can be very useful for Man Utd.
Last season, Man Utd hit an average of 9.7 balls alive over 90 minutes - the fourth-lowest number in the Premier League and showed the limitations of the lack of a striker. Whether it's Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho or Antony, Man Utd's wingers often dribble from the sideline into the center to coordinate or finish.
But with Hojlund's height, ability to sweep, dash, and position himself in the penalty area, the "Red Devils" can benefit from promoting the strength of the Danish striker with more crosses from the flanks. . Against Monza in September 2022, Hojlund - then 19 years old - stood in the back when Brandon Soppy poked a gap for Lookman to escape down the left flank. Seconds later, Hojlund sped past two defenders to catch Lookman's low pass and put the ball into the net.
Opta defines such off-ball moves as "when a player whose team is in control of the ball runs with high intensity to receive a pass or create space". Such movements of Man Utd into the opponent's penalty area increased sharply in the last half, but they have not achieved the desired effect.
Hojlund showed the potential to meet Ten Hag's demands through numerous such runs in Serie A last season. Against Salernitana in January 2023, he was the tallest Atalanta player in attack, with central defender Giorgio Scalvini holding the ball in the middle of the field. As soon as Scalvini passed Teun Koopmeiners to the left, Hojlund broke through behind the defense to help his teammates have a plan to put the ball up the front line. Koopmeiners passed the ball to Hojlund, who took home a penalty when he was fouled inside the box.
Another example comes in the victory at Roma in September 2022. After an unsuccessful breakthrough, Hojlund was in a deeper position as Atalanta started a new attack. The striker born in 2003 continued to move behind the defense and this time received the ball from Rafael Toloi. He calmed down and then moved to the second line to let Scalvini go up to score the only goal of the match.
Hojlund often runs like this to exploit space on either side, when he pairs up with another striker in a 3-5-2, or sometimes 3-4-3, formation of coach Gasperini. With Ten Hag wanting a stronger forward presence in the box, Hojlund can adjust his movement without the ball to aim for more vertical runs, in addition to exploiting wider areas.
But the fact that Man Utd have more control of the ball against weaker opponents and deep in the formation means Hojlund has less space to exploit. That's why Ten Hag wants the rookie striker to know how to play with his back to goal, and Hojlund also meets this criterion.
Having such a comprehensive playstyle makes Hojlund a player capable of connecting in attack, not simply a person who specializes in ending attacks. On average, Hojlund has one shot per 13 touches - a 69th ranking among strikers in Europe's top five leagues. This parameter is double that of famous strikers like Erling Haaland (6.6 touches per shot) or Victor Osimhen (6).
What Hojlund needs to improve on is the air battle phase. Despite being 1m91 tall, the Danish striker's win rate in the air last season was only 37%.
"But Hojlund is only 20 years old, can still continue to advance with more experience," commented The Athletic. "After looking at short-term options for several seasons, Man Utd may finally be investing in a long-term option, a player who hasn't reached his peak yet but has a really high ceiling. The next step is certain. is the biggest if he completes the deal to Old Trafford, but Hojlund has all the tools to succeed in a Man Utd shirt."
