Erik ten Hag has justified his choice to refrain from acquiring additional attacking reinforcement following Rasmus Hojlund’s injury, which has left Manchester United without a recognized center-forward for potentially up to three weeks.
Manchester United’s summer acquisition, a £72 million signing, found the net for the sixth consecutive Premier League match during Sunday’s 2-1 victory against Luton Town.
However, Denmark’s striker Hojlund, aged 21, is set to sit out the team’s upcoming three matches.
“It is a small injury, two or three weeks,” said Ten Hag. “It is a risk in high-intensity training.”
Hojlund’s absence will extend to the upcoming home league match against Fulham on Saturday, the FA Cup fifth-round fixture against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, and the highly anticipated Manchester derby at City on 3 March.
Since joining Manchester United from Serie A side Atalanta on a five-year deal, Hojlund has notched 13 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions.
Unfortunately, Hojlund’s injury adds to Manchester United’s striker dilemma, as Anthony Martial, their other central striker, continues to recover from groin surgery he underwent last month, sidelining him until April.
With Martial’s inconsistent form and fitness over the past couple of seasons, relying solely on the Frenchman appeared risky.
In January 2023, United secured Burnley forward Wout Weghorst on loan, but the Dutchman managed to score just two goals in 31 appearances.
Erik ten Hag explained that his decision not to bring in further backup to Old Trafford stemmed from a combination of factors, including Martial’s on-field performance, his substantial wages, and the Financial Fair Play constraints imposed by United’s recent lavish spending in the transfer market.
“First of all, striker options are most difficult to fill this in, especially on our level,” he said.
“Last season, Martial did great things for us. We played our best football last year with Anthony Martial as a striker. He is also on high payment in this club, so when you bring another one in, you strike him out.”
When it was suggested to Ten Hag that Martial was not a player whose availability could be trusted and contingencies should have been put in place during the summer, Ten Hag was blunt in his response.
“That is very naive,” added the Dutchman. “Strikers are not cheap. We thought, we had options.
“But when it [Martial injury] develops, I wanted to bring in a striker in the winter, but it was not possible. And, similar, was the problems we already had with FFP in the summer.
“There was real shortage on good options. That is why we were very happy to sign Rasmus Hojlund, who is a player at the level of Manchester United.”
Scott McTominay trails only Hojlund as the club’s second-highest scorer in all competitions this season, having netted eight goals.
Additionally, United suffered the loss of left-back Luke Shaw earlier in the week due to a leg injury, which may sideline him for several months.
On top of that, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, and Tyrell Malacia are all currently sidelined as well.
No extra pressure following Ratcliffe arrival – Ten Hag
Ten Hag addressed the media for the first time since Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7% stake in United. The Dutchman dismissed suggestions that the deal intensifies pressure on his role, despite Ratcliffe’s expectations for the club.
In a recent interview with BBC Sport, Ratcliffe outlined his immediate goal of aiding United in qualifying for the Champions League. He also expressed a long-term aspiration of displacing rivals Manchester City and Liverpool from their dominant positions.
“No more pressure because we have the same ambition, we have the same targets,” said Ten Hag.
“We are very aligned. Their ambitions fit with the ambitions I have, with the ambitions I had when I came in.
“We are in that project now. For me, I’m 18, 19 months in and I see [things] go in the right direction. We had setbacks in the second season but you see the team coming, you see the squad progressing and developing.”
United have won four in a row in the Premier League but remain five points adrift of the top four.
“We still have to catch up in the moment where every game is a final for us because we have to be in the Champions League,” said Ten Hag. “The players want this, the team want this but we have to believe.”