2
Rasmus Hojlund has won Manchester United’s ‘Goal of the Month’ award for January, making it back-to-back wins for the Dane.
The 20-year-old’s strike – against Tottenham Hotspur in the pulsating 2-2 draw at Old Trafford – was crowned this month’s best goal by the club’s fanbase.
Supporters were asked to vote for their favourite from ten strikes this month, with candidates from the men’s, women’s and youth teams put forward. It was a landslide, however, with Hojlund’s effort receiving 47% of vote.
The Dane’s closest competitors were Diogo Dalot (against Wigan Athletic) and Kobbie Mainoo (against Newport County).
It marks consecutive wins for the Danish striker after he picked up December’s award following his decisive winner against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. The club announced Hojlund’s award on their website.
Rasmus Hojlund ☄️ pic.twitter.com/UOnSDJigIM
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 17, 2024
Hojlund’s goal opened proceedings in the crucial game against Spurs after just three minutes.
He picked up the ball after Marcus Rashford had dribbled into a defender, making two deft touches to get it out of his feet, before unleashing a rocket with his left-foot into the top corner. The ball flew past Guillermo Vicario – Spurs’ number one – before the Italian could properly react.
It was a fantastic finish; the type which demonstrates exactly why the club were prepared to spend £72 million on a relatively inexperienced forward in the summer.
It’s also a goal which underscores where both Hojlund and United have struggled this season.
Rashford’s foray into the box ignored Hojlund at first. It was only after the England international lost the ball, after not linking with the Dane, that Hojlund was able to fashion the chance for himself.
Later in the half, Rashford made a similar burst into the Spurs box. This time, however, he played the ball into Hojlund, who promptly fed it straight back to Rashford, who then stroked the ball into the far corner beyond the reach of Vicario. It was a comparably excellent goal, facilitated by Hojlund’s link-up play, and Rashford’s willingness to find his team mate in the box.
Yet this willingness to feed Hojlund has been starkly lacking this season.
The 20-year-old striker has scored eight times for United. Only three of these goals have been provided through assists by his team mates. The rest – as this month’s winner was – have been made by Hojlund himself, almost in spite of his fellow players, rather than because of.
The Peoples Person have explained this issue in greater detail here, but it’s no surprise United have struggled for goals this season when the team are not offer their starting centre-forward any semblance of consistent service. Only Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than Ten Hag’s side in the league.
Despite this lack of service, Hojlund has scored eight goals and won back-to-back Goal of the Month awards in the process. Just imagine what the Dane could be capable of if provided the same number of opportunities as Darwin Nunez!
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
