Rasmus Hojlund: Why is Manchester United striker in goal drought?

Manchester United suffered another defeat, with their forwards continuing their goal drought. The FA Cup loss to Fulham in a penalty shootout marked Rasmus Højlund's 18th consecutive game without a goal since his brace against Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League on December 12th last year.

Meanwhile, Joshua Zirkzee has only scored one goal in his 16 appearances for Manchester United, highlighting the team's struggles in attack. With Manchester United trying to equalize, Højlund, the Danish international signed from Atalanta for a hefty £72 million in 2023, was replaced by young player Chido Obi.

The 22-year-old Højlund only managed one shot throughout the match, missing the near post from a cross by Christian Eriksen, failing to make an impact. The 23-year-old Zirkzee also had only one attempt, similarly off target. In contrast, 17-year-old Obi had three shots, forcing a fine save from Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Concerns about Højlund's form are resurfacing, coupled with ongoing issues within and outside the club, with BBC Sport focusing on Manchester United's attacking shortcomings.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim recently attributed Højlund's goal drought to a lack of support. Amad Diallo's absence due to injury, the unpopular Marcus Rashford's loan to Aston Villa, and Antony's loan to Real Betis until the end of the season have all weakened the team's attacking options. A comical situation even arose in February, where the Brazilian winger scored more goals for Real Betis (three) than all Manchester United players combined that month.

However, Amorim's control over the team's personnel and tactics, even benching Alejandro Garnacho before Sunday's game, sparked discontent at Old Trafford. Until Garnacho's introduction in the 53rd minute, Manchester United's Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot—two full-time defenders playing as wing-backs—failed to provide any attacking threat. After Garnacho came on, the game's tempo shifted, with Manchester United playing with more purpose, registering six shots on target in the second half compared to just two in the first. Garnacho was also involved in Bruno Fernandes' equalizing goal, as Manchester United finally pushed players forward, a stark contrast to the lack of support for Zirkzee and Højlund in the first half.

Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney stated on BBC's "Match of the Day": "I think Manchester United's pace is too slow, the ball speed is too slow, and the forwards can only wait. Sometimes I make mistakes, play a bad game, but I have good players around me. Højlund is not getting any help. He has to work hard to control the ball and use his body. He runs actively and is willing to put in the effort, but he is a bit isolated." Rooney added: "Not just Højlund, Joshua Zirkzee also lost the ball many times. There isn't enough creativity, and they didn't hold the ball to allow the midfielders and defenders to provide support, so both sides are responsible."

Højlund didn't score his first Premier League goal last season until December 26th. However, this triggered a goal surge, with eight goals in eight games, his first season at the club was interrupted by injuries, eventually scoring 16 goals in 43 games. This season, however, he has only scored 7 goals in 35 games across all competitions, a decline that seems unsurprising given his average of 1.5 shots per game and an average of just 3.5 touches in the opposition box throughout the season. Garnacho (8.4), Diallo (7.3), Rashford (5.1), and Zirkzee (4.7) all have more touches in the opposition box than the Dane. The same four, plus Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, also average more shots than Højlund, who scored 12 goals in 21 appearances for Sturm Graz and 10 goals in 34 games in Italy.

These figures also look woefully low when considering Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz had a combined 16 touches in Manchester City's box in their Premier League victory a week prior. Obi also managed 6 touches in less time against Fulham, and another worrying reason is that Højlund's data has fallen to 1.3 and 3.1 since December 19th. Chris Sutton, who won the Premier League Golden Boot while playing for Blackburn in the 1997-98 season, can understand Højlund's experience, as he endured a tough period at Chelsea, going 21 games without a goal.

Sutton told BBC Sport: "When I criticize any striker, the first thing I consider is whether he is getting a lot of chances? I'm not sure if Højlund is getting enough chances. He is suffering, like many forwards, from a lack of belief and hesitation due to a prolonged lack of confidence. When a forward experiences a goal drought like his, it affects your mind. This can affect his entire game, not just in front of goal, and the longer it goes on, the worse it gets. Is he trying hard? Yes, absolutely. Can he do better? Of course, but you can say that about almost all Manchester United players. You have to remember that Manchester United are not just underperforming, but performing terribly. There is a view that under Ruben Amorim, they are performing even worse than under Erik ten Hag. His problem at Manchester United is that, besides struggling to find form, all forwards rely on support, and he is not getting much support."

Chief football news reporter Simon Stone analyzed: "Højlund's value increased significantly in a very short period, from Copenhagen to Sturm Graz, and then to Atalanta. Despite his unremarkable goal record, he was compared to Scandinavian forward Erling Haaland at the time due to the two players' size, strength, and speed. While Manchester United believe he has the potential to develop into a top center-forward, he has not achieved this, and although he has shown some of his finishing ability, his confidence now appears to have collapsed. He looked completely unable to get a shot against Fulham, and he is not the kind of forward who will drop deeper and get involved in build-up play. Garnacho being listed as a substitute also hurt the Dane, as he seems to be the only player in the team who can stretch the game and provide some support at the moment."