Man United Want Hojlund Out While Losing Money

Ruben Amorim isn’t looking at United’s star prospect Rasmus Hojlund in his plans as they look to sell the Denmark prodigy before the transfer window closes. 

United are adamant that he leaves the club, two years after joining in a deal worth up to £72m from Atalanta.

United want to sign a new striker this summer and are involved in a tug-of-war with Newcastle over RB Leipzig centre-forward Benjamin Sesko.

It has cast doubt over Hojlund’s future at Old Trafford, with United ready to take a massive hit under profit and sustainability rules. 

The initial fee when the Denmark international signed in 2023 was £64m, and he is two years into a five-year contract, so his book value should be around £45m.

Hojlund has been linked with a return to Italy and as a possible replacement for Sesko at Leipzig, but would prefer to stay at United.

‘I think my plan is very clear and that is for me to stay and fight for my spot whatever happens,’ he said after scoring in the 4-1 win over Bournemouth on the club’s US tour in Chicago earlier this week.

However, United need to sell players to help pay for new signings and manager Ruben Amorim was unable to give any guarantees over Hojlund’s future, saying: ‘I am pleased with Rasmus, but I don’t know what is going to happen until the end of the market.’

Hojlund has scored 26 goals in 95 games for United, but hit the net just four times in the Premier League last season. This situation was a tough statistic for any fan who was spending big amounts on ticket resellers to see their key player bring in such a low performance. 

It was obvious that the plan was not working, and it was time for him to leave. 

The club have decided to bring in a new striker this summer after spending more than £130m on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who will make his debut against Everton in Atlanta on Sunday night.

Having seen Liam Delap, Victor Gyokeres, and Hugo Ekitike go to Premier League rivals, United are now battling Newcastle for Sesko.

Hojlund, however, has previously insisted that he’s not threatened by competition in attack, as he passionately defended his role at the club. 

‘Competition is fine with me, it sharpens me,’ he explained. ‘I’m more than ready. I’m feeling sharp, so I’m welcoming everything that comes. I think it’s good with competition, and it only sharpens the team. 

‘I’m still very young. I think people forget that sometimes, I’m only 22. Not every striker is scoring 100 goals at the age of 22. But I’ve learned a lot, I think you can see in my game.

I’m starting to develop and become even better in the basics. Now it’s about sharpening myself, and I’ve done very well in the pre-season so far. I’m just focusing on continuing that.’

The Stint at United So Far 

Hojlund finished with a promising 16 goals in his first season. But that dwindled to 10 last term in a desperate United team enduring the club’s worst season in more than half a century.

‘Well, obviously it was a tough season on us all,’ admitted Hojlund. ‘I think I should have done better, I think everybody knows. 

‘But also it’s a team thing, that we’re going to be better now. I think we’ve shown now in these two (tour) games that we’re progressing in the right way and looking forward to what’s coming.

‘We played a lot of games last year, so it was hard for me to implement anything into the game, especially training on the pitch. So it’s been a lot of videos, especially with my movement in the box, and also the timing of my runs has been critical.

‘Strikers always want to score goals. It’s very important for me. I think after last season it’s been a bit rough, and I’ve tried to sharpen myself throughout the holidays, and I feel very, very good.

United Gets Much-Needed Upgrade 

Two years on, Ratcliffe is describing those initial thoughts at the re-opening of the club’s revamped training ground. He has invested £50m in the upgrades. The work took 12 months and was “on time and within budget”.

This has brought a bit of hope to the ticket resellers as the new improvements and the signings are seeing more interest around Manchester United. 

Manchester United is one of the most recognised brands in the world. The club has to compete at the highest level,” he said. “A world-class training facility won’t take us to that position alone, but one of the key ingredients is a modern facility. Now we have one.”

In the corner of the players’ canteen, now huge and, like most of the building, light and open-plan, is the familiar sight of a red, white and blue barber’s pole.

United’s squad was canvassed about what they wanted from a training ground. There were so many suggestions that, in the end, Ratcliffe had to tell them to stop.

But a barber’s area was included. The club doesn’t supply the barber – players are responsible for bringing them in when needed. Trimmings of brown hair suggested it had been in use shortly before the media tour.

“Not to throw any names out, but he’s over there,” laughed goalkeeper Tom Heaton, pointing at defender Diogo Dalot.

“He would have been odds-on to have the first haircut.”

A barber in a training ground seems odd, but elite players often have their hair cut close to games. Having this on-site can reduce stress.

Next to the barber’s room is a slightly bigger area that houses a Formula 1 simulator. The player log suggested Mason Mount and Ayden Heaven were among those to take early advantage of that.

Sir Alex Ferguson started the formal proceedings of the official opening by unveiling a plaque to beloved former receptionist Kath Phipps in the entrance area that was her domain from Carrington’s first opening in 2000 until not long before her death in December 2024.

The legendary manager approved of the open-plan aspect of the players’ area as it encouraged interaction.

And this is one of the key components. Large open-plan areas with lots of natural light create an uplifting environment.

Manchester United tickets for the new season are now readily available with resellers.