Rasmus Højlund

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    Struggling Hojlund has better conversion rate than Haaland and Salah but Man Utd boss Amorim must fix dilemma

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    RASMUS HOJLUND has a better chance conversion rate than Erling Haaland and Mo Salah since debuting for Manchester United last year.The forward, still only 21, joined the Red Devils for £72million in the summer of 2023, following a solitary season at Atalanta.Rasmus Hojlund has scored one Premier League goal this seasonCredit: GettyHojlund, 21, actually ranks as one of the Prem’s most accurate shootersCredit: ReutersHojlund arrived at Old Trafford with United desperate for a prolific striker.And while he has shown signs of promise, he has only scored 18 goals in 55 appearances for the Red Devils, 11 coming in the Premier League.Statistics show, however, that Hojlund is nowhere near solely to blame for his lack of goals.In fact, since making his United debut, he is among the Premier League’s deadliest finishers.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHojlund has a conversion rate of 25.5 per cent, which puts him fourth in the Premier League over this period.Only Chris Wood (30.9), Jean-Philippe Mateta (28.8) and Hwang Hee-chan (27.5) have better conversion rates in that time.Manchester City goal-machine Erling Haaland is at 21.2 per cent, albeit on far higher volume.While Liverpool’s Mo Salah is on 18.3 per cent, again on far more attempts.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSErling Haaland receives far better service at Man City than Hojlund does at UnitedCredit: GettyHojlund’s chance conversion at United has been better than Mo Salah’s in the same periodCredit: GettySunSport revealed last weekend that Man Utd scouts were in attendance to watch Ruben Amorim’s former Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres in action for Sweden.But with Amorim set to have to work with a reduced budget compared to his predecessor Erik ten Hag, he may have to prioritise getting more out of his current crop.Top 10 highest-paid Premier League starsSpeaking to the Telegraph, former Man Utd forward Dion Dublin pointed out that his old side don’t put in enough quality crosses for Hojlund.He said: “I still don’t agree with right-footers on the left and left-footers on the right.”If you’re (Alejandro) Garnacho on the left or Antony playing on the right, all your crosses are going into the keeper – if you’re on the other side they’re coming away from the keeper and you have more room then to adjust as a centre-forward.””You also get that reluctance to beat the man on the outside and if you are playing inverted you have an excuse to keep chopping back on to your good foot all the time, but there shouldn’t be any excuse to deliver end product.”The Telegraph also point out that Hojlund receives just 4.1 touches in the opposition box and 1.5 shots per game, compared to Haaland’s tallies of 7.1 and 4.5.Where United fans can hold hope, however, is with the work Amorim did with Gyokeres in Portugal.The striker was already a good player ahead of the move, having banged goals in for Coventry.But things went up another notch in Lisbon, with Gyokeres having netted an astonishing 66 times in 68 matches for Sporting.READ MORE SUN STORIESIrrespective of United’s transfer budget in upcoming windows, Hojlund will have an opportunity to prove that he can be the club’s prolific No9, and that they don’t need to fork out on Gyokeres or another star forward.And United fans will hope that he can now embark on a rich vein of form, starting this Sunday as Amorim takes charge of his first game away at Ipswich.Ruben Amorim did brilliant work with Viktor GyokeresCredit: PA More

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      Which Manchester United players will flourish in Dream Team under Ruben Amorim’s watch?

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      THE wait is over.Ruben Amorim is set to take charge of his first game as Manchester United head coach this Sunday when he leads his troops to face Ipswich at Portman Road.Fans of the Red Devils and neutrals alike will be intrigued to see how the Portuguese tactician fares in his first managerial outing on English shores but what should Dream Team managers expect going forward?It’s all eyes on Amorim in Gameweek 12Credit: Dream TeamErik ten Hag’s version of this Man United side was flawed in many ways but several players have thrived in Dream Team across the first eleven Gameweeks of the season.Andre Onana (£4m), Noussair Mazraoui (£3.8m), Diogo Dalot (£4.2m), Bruno Fernandes (£6.1m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£4.1m) are all among the top seven assets in their respective positions at the time of writing.But which players will flourish under Amorim’s watch?The former Sporting CP coach is likely to employ his preferred 3-4-3 formation, making use of wing-backs.If Mazraoui is deployed as the right wing-back then there’s every chance that will lead to increased attacking returns for the 27-year-old.Mazraoui has impressed since his transfer to Old TraffordCredit: GettyThe Morocco international has racked up a whopping 91 points already this season via five clean sheets and an unmatched tally (in his position) of 55 tackles, not to mention 13 bonus points.Add in more time in the final third with greater attacking responsibilities and he could go to another level.Most read in FootballMazraoui is seemingly a lock at right wing-back but it will be interesting to see who fulfils the role on the opposite flank in the long run.Dalot will be hopeful of a spot in his compatriot’s starting XI but it will be interesting to see whether Amorim eventually opts to convert one of the squad’s wingers into a wing-back.It’s not unthinkable, for example, that Garnacho might get some minutes in the role in the near future.Many fans are eager to see what role Garnacho will fulfil under AmorimCredit: AlamySuch a move would mean more defensive duties for the Argentine youngster and perhaps a reduced goal threat, which would negatively impact his Dream Team viability.However, if Amorim considers Garnacho worthy of a regular starting spot in his front three there could be plenty of points on offer.Only superstar forwards Erling Haaland (£8.6m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.3m) have registered more shots on target than Garnacho so far this season; Amorim will surely want to maintain that level of threat in the final third throughout his first few weeks as Old Trafford boss at the very least.Score PredictorPlay Score Predictor with Dream Team this season!FREE to play£250 weekly prizePredict scores of five selected Premier League fixtures and earn points for accuracyMost points wins weekly cash prizePLAY NOWClub captain Fernandes is currently Dream Team’s most in-form player having plundered 61 points across the last three Gameweeks!The Portugal international generally operates best as a central advanced playmaker but such a role doesn’t really exist in Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation.With the wing-backs encouraged to offer width high up the pitch, the two central midfielders are generally more combative types, tasked with recovering the ball and playing through the middle third.The long-term vision probably features Kobbie Mainoo (£3.1m) and Manuel Ugarte (£2.8m) as partners in the middle of the park.This would result in Fernandes being deployed in the front three but in what capacity remains to be seen.It may be that he’s given a partial free role to create in more familiar areas, with a slight preference for the half-space closer to the right flank.Broadly speaking, the 30-year-old should be one of the main beneficiaries if Amorim is able to spark improvements across the board – his individual creative output is up there with the best players in Europe in recent years.Dream Team’s form playerCredit: ReutersOne player Man United fans will desperately be hoping ascends to another level under the new regime is Rasmus Hojlund (£3.9m).Viktor Gyokeres’ widely-heralded form up front was the defining aspect of Amorim’s successful Sporting side.The former Coventry striker has scored 66 goals in 68 games since his transfer to the Portuguese giants, including a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City a few days before the international break.READ MORE SUN STORIESNobody is expecting Hojlund to suddenly morph into one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers but if Amorim is able to mould United into a dynamic attacking force then more and more Dream Team bosses will surely be tempted by the Danish focal point leading the line.Injury problems may scupper some plans in Gameweek 12 but Amorin’s hand will be revealed to some extent and gaffers should pay careful attention.BetMGM sign up offerBetMGM: Get £40 in free bets — HERE**New cust only. 7 days to opt in by placing a £10 qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater to receive 4x Free Bets: 1 x £10 horse racing, 1 x £10 Bet Builder, 1 x £10 Acca and 1 x £10 football. 7 day expiry. 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      Man Utd chiefs to ‘give Amorim much smaller budget than wasteful Ten Hag and hope he gets best out of two big signings’

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      RUBEN AMORIM will be expected to work on a much smaller budget than Erik ten Hag did at Manchester United, according to reports.Ten Hag, 53, spent more than £600million on transfers in barely two-and-a-half years as Red Devils boss.Ruben Amorim has been tasked with getting much more from the current Man Utd squadCredit: GettyErik ten Hag spent more than £600million on transfers at Man UtdCredit: GettyOver the last decade United have averaged five signings per summer.But according to the Telegraph, they are not planning to hugely reshape their current squad at the end of the season.Instead, club chiefs feel that new boss Amorim can get much more out of their current crop of players.Last summer, Ten Hag forked out nearly £200m on Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLWhile during his reign he also spent £86m on Antony, £70m on Casemiro, £72m on Rasmus Hojlund and £60m on Mason Mount.The latter two in particular are players that United chiefs hope Amorim can get a tune out of.Since the Portuguese’s Old Trafford arrival, Man Utd scouts watched his former Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres score for Sweden over the weekend.But United bosses hope that Hojlund can deliver on his potential and begin to bang the goals in.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSJoshua Zirkzee was among Man Utd’s summer signings this yearCredit: AlamyAmorim is set to take charge of his first match as Man Utd manager on Sunday.He will take his side to Ipswich Town, who grabbed their first Premier League win in 22 years when they triumphed 2-1 over Tottenham prior to the international break.Man Utd fans claim Ruben Amorim could be ‘new Jurgen Klopp’ after heartwarming gesture on stadium tourSpeaking for the first time as Man Utd boss last week, Amorim admitted that he is not fazed by the weight of history at Old Trafford.He said: “It’s a great responsibility but you feel honoured and excited to be part of that.”If the team plays well and wins games, everything looks so much better. We are the engine of football — Manchester United is the engine of the Premier League in my opinion.”For a long time we haven’t won the Premier  League but United is the biggest club in England.”This is part of the history but it isn’t now, so we have to address that and try to win again.”All the people are hungry for success and this is the place I want to be because of that — because you can be part of something special.”Man Utd chiefs hope that Amorim can get the best out of Mason MountCredit: RexRamus Hojlund has shown glimpses of potential at Old TraffordCredit: Getty More