Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has asserted that striker Rasmus Hojlund’s confidence is currently at an all-time low.
The recent match against Fulham marked the 18th consecutive game in which he has failed to find the back of the net for the club.
His last goals were recorded back in December, when he netted two against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic.
Additionally, Hojlund was notably outperformed by his 17-year-old compatriot Chido Obi during the weekend’s match.
Obi came on for Hojlund in the second half and created three significant opportunities in just 52 minutes, a stark contrast to United’s number nine, who has managed only three big chances across 22 Premier League appearances this season.
In a discussion on Overlap US, Neville expressed concern for Hojlund’s current situation.
He remarked, “Hojlund had a really difficult game, it was a worry. That was my biggest takeaway from the game, there’s a lad that now hasn’t scored in 18 games.”
While the former defender acknowledged Hojlund’s talent and physical attributes, he conceded that there is a significant issue affecting his performance.
“He’s shot at the moment and he’s really struggling. It’s sad. You could see when he was substituted, there was almost a sense of relief in the stadium because the fans recognized he needed to come off.”
The 50-year-old pundit also expressed sympathy for Hojlund, noting that he lacks an inspiring supporting cast.
Neville criticized the service provided to him, stating that Joshua Zirkzee and Christian Eriksen have been unable to assist him, and highlighted that the absence of attacking fullbacks has further diminished the team’s ability to create opportunities for the 22-year-old striker.
He also claimed it was a “sad” experience being at Old Trafford and that every team who comes as a visitor seems to have more of a plan and an understanding of how they want to play.
“I went as a fan and it was actually sad being in the stadium. It was really sad because the fans are despondent, they’re down in the dumps.”