Paul Scholes has revealed he ‘thought’ Manchester United had signed a player within the mould of Alan Shearer once they brought struggling striker Rasmus Hojlund to Old Trafford.
Much was expected of Denmark international Hojlund following his £72m move from Atalanta in 2023.
Hojlund hit double digits in his one and only season in Serie A and was in comparison with Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland before his arrival in England.
The 22-year-old enjoyed an encouraging first season at United, scoring 16 goals in all competitions, but Hojlund’s form has gone backwards throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
Contributing just three league goals, Hojlund has at times found himself out of Ruben Amorim’s team and reports claim Manchester United could money in on the struggling forward this summer.
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Hojlund will get one other likelihood to kick-start his Red Devils profession after being named in United’s starting XI for the must-win Europa League clash with Lyon on Thursday night.
Old Trafford legends Scholes and Rio Ferdinand discussed Hojlund’s form before kick-off and the previous said he believed the Dane may very well be United’s own Alan Shearer.
Shearer still holds the record for essentially the most Premier League goals with 260 and amassed 30 in 63 games for England.
Asked what Hojlund is lacking without delay, Ferdinand told TNT Sports: ‘Confidence and remembering how you can rating.
‘It’s quite easy. It’s a difficult time for him and others on the football club. All of it comes back to confidence.
‘After I was struggling I might return to basics in training to try to earn a little bit of luck and you then can construct up. But we’ve been saying his for some time now.’
Scholes then said: ‘We’ve been saying it for ages. He needs that confidence and little bit of luck but too persistently he’s not in the suitable area of the pitch.
‘The quantity of times he’s in his own half attempting to help out defensively or in good areas but not getting the service.
‘I remember when he first got here. I believed, we’ve got an Alan Shearer. That’s big words comparing him to Shearer but I believed he’s an enormous centre forward, he’s physical, he can run in behind, he loves getting on the top of crosses.
‘But he doesn’t get any crosses. The lad, he doesn’t know what’s coming because there’s no rhythm to United’s play. There’s nothing to suit the way in which he desires to play football.’
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