Linked with exit 

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Manchester United forward Rasmus Højlund has confirmed that he has no interest in leaving the Premier League side, despite his struggles in front of goal at Old Trafford. Since signing for the Red Devils last summer for €78 million from Atalanta, the Danish forward has managed just 26 goals and six assists in 95 games for his new club. As such, speculation has hinted at a timely exit from the English club in the coming months, with reports linking the former Serie A star with a move to Inter Milan. However, Højlund was quick to rule out such a move. 

“‘I have a contract until 2030, so I expect to play for Manchester United,” said the 22-year-old talent in an interview with Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet. “I’m looking forward to going on a summer vacation, and then I’m fully dedicated to the project that’s underway.” When asked about rumours linking him with Inter, he said: “No. As I’ve told you before, I try to stay away from all that, because it’s both for better and for worse these days. I know I can’t get much out of reading things. I know what the facts are, and that is that I have a contract with Manchester United until 2030. I expect to play there, so I’m just getting ready for some summer vacation and then hopefully a good pre-season.”

Man Utd’s attacking problems 

This season Højlund managed just four league goals from 32 games, which certainly explains why the young striker has been linked with a departure from Man Utd. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that he spearheaded a Man Utd team that didn’t have a single player reach double figures for goals in the Premier League. As such, the Old Trafford club finished the league campaign with just 44 goals scored, which is the club’s worst offensive record in the English top-flight since 1974. So Højlund’s inability to find the back of the net for Ruben Amorim’s side this season is hardly an isolated problem at the club. 

Indeed, there are plenty of metrics that underline Man Utd’s lack of tenacity or attacking intent in the Premier League over the course of the last eight months. One example of this is how many times each club took the lead in the league this season. As we can see in the table above, Amorim’s side managed such a game state on just 16 occasions. Remarkably, that was exactly half as many as league champions Liverpool managed and the worst return for any club outside of the dreaded bottom three. In no uncertain terms, Man Utd failed to attack opposing teams with each passing week and that had a profound impact on Højlund’s ability to score goals. 

How that has impacted Højlund’s game 

Over the course of this season, Højlund managed just 10 goals and four assists in 52 appearances in all competitions. When we break that down to a game average, it works out at just 0.27 goals per 90 minutes of football for Man Utd. And, as we can see in the graphic below, that’s comfortably the worst return for goals from the young striker in his career to date. In fact, it’s almost half what the Danish No.9 was averaging at Atalanta when Man Utd decided to make Højlund their sixth most expensive signing ever. However, there may be an obvious reason behind Højlund’s demise in front of goal for Man Utd. 

Naturally, playing for a team as timid in attack as Man Utd have been would have a detrimental impact on any striker’s chances in front of goal and while Højlund has undoubtedly missed big chances for his team this season, he has been working on relative scraps compared to what he was dealing with in the past. For example, according to data website FBRef, Højlund has averaged just 3.32 touches of the ball in the opposing box per 90 in the Premier League this season. Not only is that a 17% drop from last season’s average and a massive 49% drop from the number of touches in the box Højlund was averaging in Serie A for Atalanta. 

Unsurprisingly, Højlund’s goals per 90 follows an almost identical downward trend running in parallel to his touches in the box. So much so that with a 49% drop in his touches of the ball in the box over the last three seasons, we can also see a 52% drop in goals scored per 90 minutes. As such, there can be little doubt that the striker’s struggles in front of goal are largely due to his lack of service in the opposing box. And that’s something that Man Utd will have to address before they come to a definitive conclusion on whether or not Højlund is good enough to be their main No.9 next season. 

Rumour
	B. Mbeumo
	Right Winger
Brentford ? Man Utd Premier League Premier League

As such, it’s hard to blame Højlund entirely for his misfortune at Man Utd, when it would perhaps make more sense to suggest that he is a victim of the circumstances he finds himself in. Whether it be the club’s inability to take the lead or the possession stats that show how little service Højlund seems to get in each match, there’s no denying that the young striker has had very little to work with this season. Perhaps that will change when Man Utd sign more creative players – such as the recent arrival of Matheus Cunha from Wolves or the reported move to sign Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo – but for now it would seem unfair to blame Højlund poor form entirely on himself.