"He showed great character" - Alan Shearer heaps praise on Manchester United star after win over Luton Town
Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer praised Rasmus Hojlund after his performance in Manchester United's 2-1 win against Luton Town on Sunday (February 18).
The Denmark international grabbed both his side's goals on the night and has now scored for the sixth consecutive league game. After a shaky start to his career at Old Trafford, which saw the striker fail to net in 14 Premier League matches, he seems to have settled down.
Speaking after the 20-year-old's latest performance, Shearer told The Rest is Football podcast (via HITC):
"You know what? He showed great character. He really has. He has never stopped. His attitude has been superb, and now he is getting his rewards for that. Six games on the spin.
“I thought he was brilliant today. I thought his hold-up play, apart from his two goals. He knew what he was doing, where he was and what he had to do, but take away his two goals, I thought every other part of his game, I thought was excellent today."
He added:
“He led the line well, he worked his socks off, he brought people into the game because Luton basically went man for man at times.”
On the night, Hojlund made two key passes, accurately delivered all four attempted long balls, and won four of his six aerial duels. He is expected to lead the line when Manchester United host Fulham at Old Trafford in the league on Saturday (February 24).
Erik ten Hag backs Rasmus Hojlund to improve on impressive goalscoring run for Manchester United
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has backed Rasmus Hojlund to score even more amid his impressive goalscoring form. Speaking after his side's latest win, the Dutch tactician said (via The Guardian):
"We recruited him on his character. I knew it was strong. He can really perform under stress and that is something you need as a Manchester United striker. He doesn’t get nervous or lose confidence. He has a lot of confidence and I’m sure he will score even more."
The Red Devils brought in Hojlund from Atalanta last summer for a reported fee of €73.9 million. Overall, he's bagged 13 goals and two assists in 30 matches across competitions.
Hojlund's recent performances have helped Manchester United remain in the race for the top four. They're currently sixth and five points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa in the standings.