Rashford, Antony Not Good Enough To Help Hojlund Thrive At Old Trafford, Claims Man Utd Legend

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has criticised Marcus Rashford and Antony, saying the playmakers do not have the skills to help young Rasmus Hojlund thrive at Old Trafford.

Hojlund became Manchester United's marquee signing this summer after being singled out as boss Erik ten Hag's top target. The Red Devils paid Atalanta £72million for the 20-year-old Danish striker.

Hojlund's mixed start at Man Utd

Ten Hag brought in Hojlund to fill in the big shoes of Cristiano Ronaldo, who made a controversial exit from Manchester United in December last year. Hojlund, who idolises the Portuguese legend, has had a mixed start to his career at Old Trafford.

The Denmark international has netted three goals in as many matches in Europe but is yet to open his account in the Premier League, where he has not scored or assisted a goal in six games so far.

Speaking about the Hojlund in a recent interview, Scholes said that although the young strike does not have an excellent record yet, he is doing everything right at Old Trafford.

"It takes a lot to fill that shirt, but he's a very young player. He's not got a great goal-scoring record as of yet, but he's getting into great positions. He needs to find out what kind of centre-forward he is: is he more of a Ruud van Nistelrooy or an Alan Shearer -type player? For me, he's more of a Shearer, where he's going to want balls crossed into him," added Scholes.

Scholes slams Antony, Rashford

Scholes went on to say that he does not believe Rashford and Antony have the ability to cross the ball to put Hojlund in scoring positions.

"The only problem with that is United don't really have wide players that cross the ball – [Marcus] Rashford doesn't, Antony tries to cut inside and shoot every single time, but [Sergio] Reguilon can cross a ball. Luke Shaw is to come back as well," the Man Utd great said.

Hojlund, who has gone without scoring in three straight matches for Manchester United across competitions, has emphasied that he is still finding his feet at his new club.

After Manchester United's 1-0 win over Copenhagen, where Hojlund was on the field for 86 minutes but made no contribution, said: "In the end, I am only 20 years old and I am not the finished article yet. I still have a lot to improve and I am getting there slowly. It (his start) has been alright. I've tried my best every time I play, and I still need to find the rhythm."

Hojlund praises Rashford

The talented forward, who started his senior career at Copenhagen, also spoke about his on-field relationship with teammate Rashford in regards to how his teammates are trying to get the best out of him.

"You can see we are trying to find each other. In the Sheffield (United) game, he nearly got an assist for me and I think he has already assisted me twice in the Champions League," said Hojlund.

Adding further, the Danish striker said that he and Rashford are always trying to find each other on the pitch as they have developed a "good connection" between them. Hojlund also praised his teammates, saying they have begun to "see my patterns in the game as well, so it is getting better and better every day".

Born in the Danish capital, Hojlund rose through Copenhagen's youth teams, where he played for their Under-16 and Under-21 sides. He finally made his first-team debut with the Danish side in September 2022.

Hojlund moved to Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz In January 2022 for a reported fee of €1.8 million. He scored 12 goals in 21 games across all competitions during the remainder of the 2021–22 season and the 2022–23 campaign.

The young forward then moved to Serie A club Atalanta, where he spent a season, scoring 10 goals in 34 competitive appearances before Manchester United roped him in on a five-year deal.