Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed that £72 million striker Rasmus Højlund is still under supervision thanks to the injury he came to Manchester United with.
The 20-year-old was signed from Italian Serie A club Atalanta BC in the summer but his debut was delayed by a month thanks to a back injury which was revealed after his medicals were complete.
The player has since taken up the mantle of the starting number 9 in ten Hag’s XI but is yet to score his first three Premier League goals after six appearances. He also missed three glorious chances in their hard-fought win at Bramall Lane last weekend before he was taken off in the 63rd minute for Anthony Martial.
Højlund did not look happy being taken off and the decision was not met with happiness by the United fans who believed ten Hag was making a mistake thansk to the danger that the Danish striker posed to the Blades’ defence.
The former AFC Ajax manager insisted that the decision to keep taking Højlund off was because of his injury. He insinuated that the player is not fully recovered and that they are not looking to aggravate his injury.
“He often played whole games,” said ten Hag in the 20-year-old’s defence. “But the idea behind this, yes, we have to manage his game minutes. But also, there is internal competition for the opportunity.
“Definitely, we have to manage his game minutes, coming up there are many games. We are now in October, until the end of the season there are so many games.
“We need everyone on board. We need everyone sharp, to keep sharp. If I see the programme for the coming weeks, we have to swap you in games, between games, otherwise we don’t keep the energy and don’t keep the focus in the team and don’t get them so fresh for every game.
“Also, we want to do something with subs to bring a new energy into the team and also, from a tactical approach, we want to do something.”
The manager was also asked about the player’s lack of goals in the league. Højlund is the highest goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League this season but that success has not translated to the Premier League. Fans are not impatient but the media is brewing a storm around the matter.
United’s next outing in the league sees Højlund come up against Haaland in the Manchester Derby between United and City. Before that, he will look to increase his goal tally in the Champions League when they take on Copenhagen in midweek.
