Marcus Rashford, in the forward position, has been ineffective. They are eagerly awaiting the return of Rasmus Højbjerg.
On August 20th, 1:30 AM (KST), Manchester United faced a 0-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) second round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Manchester United has been utilizing Rashford in the forward role. Although Rashford tends to move centrally, his main position is as a left-winger. Even during the last season when he hit his career-high in goals, Rashford primarily played on the left. Positioned centrally, players like Wout Weghorst used to come forward and create space for him메이저사이트 기준.
Weghorst left, and United tried to sign a new striker. They wanted players like Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen, but after failing to sign them, they acquired Højbjerg. Born in 2003, Højbjerg is young, but he has proven himself in Italy’s Serie A. Last season, he appeared in 32 Serie A matches, scoring 9 goals and assisting 2. He also played exceptionally for Denmark, with 6 goals in 4 matches, earning him high praises. Standing at 191cm, his aerial abilities combined with his speed earned him the nickname “Danish Haaland.”
His transfer fee was €75 million (approx. 108 billion KRW), an enormous amount for a player born in 2003 and with limited big-league experience. This fee ranks 5th in Manchester United’s all-time record transfers, the same amount paid for Angel Di Maria in 2014. The amount surpasses fees for players like Casemiro (€70.65 million) and Bruno Fernandes (€65 million), showing United’s bold investment.
However, immediately upon his arrival, an injury was confirmed. The UK’s ‘Daily Mail’ reported on the 9th, “Højbjerg will have limited playtime early in the season due to a back injury. The injury is more severe than what Manchester United initially thought. An MRI confirmed a stress fracture. The injury was known during the transfer, and careful management is required. The fracture risk means he won’t play two matches a week for some time.”
For Manchester United, this was a setback. In Højbjerg’s absence, they utilized Rashford as their striker, but the results were disappointing. Rashford’s presence was almost non-existent, leading to a lackluster attack from Manchester United, in contrast to Tottenham’s vibrant offense. Rashford was substituted in the middle of the game, showing clear frustration with his performance. Anthony Martial replaced him but was equally ineffective토토사이트 순위.
The integration of Højbjerg is now more crucial than ever. Even though he was born in 2004 and has yet to prove himself in the EPL, a specialist striker like Højbjerg is necessary. The UK’s ‘Manchester Evening News’ reported, “Højbjerg has recovered from his injury.” Coach Erik ten Hag commented, “Højbjerg is fit to play, but he’s not 100%. We’ll give him more time. Due to the number of matches, we need at least two players for each position. It’s hard to predict the course, but it’s a good situation. We will monitor daily.”
While Højbjerg has recovered, Coach ten Hag feels he still needs more time.