During the summer transfer window, Andre Onana, Mason Mount, and Rasmus Hojlund were all acquired.
After suffering a crushing loss to Arsenal, Manchester United left for the first international break of the season with mixed feelings of disappointment and excitement.
When Alejandro Garnacho broke through and slid the ball under an outstretched Aaron Ramsdale, VAR narrowly disallowed United from scoring a certain late winner due to offside. The Reds suffered their second loss this season in north London alone a short while afterwards.
But unlike the Tottenham match, where United came in second, Garnacho and his newest offensive teammate sent a less-than-subtle hint to the future. After an injury, Rasmus Hojlund was finally given his long-overdue debut, and the promising Dane made a forceful entrance.
During his 23-minute cameo, Hojlund rushed, bustled, and ruffled a few feathers. United signed him to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, but Gary Neville, a pundit, said comparisons to the great five-time Ballon d’Or winner, former target Harry Kane, and especially Erling Haaland will have to stop.
Manchester United hasn’t have a striker they can hit, Neville said to Sky Sports after the game. Although Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford aren’t your typical target men, Ronaldo wasn’t either, and it appears that he will cause trouble for others. The fact that he is still learning the game is a plus.
“Martial. He is not what Ten Hag needs or wants, and we have been seeing him for the past eight or nine seasons. Hojlund has a high price tag, which is a promising beginning.
A promising beginning, and Neville’s final couple of sentences seem very important. Since United lacks a trustworthy replacement for Hojlund, finding one must now be their top priority during the January transfer window.
