Dwight Yorke: 'I'd give Rasmus Hojlund a five or six out of 10 so far at Manchester United – he's been average'

Rasmus Hojlund in action for Manchester United against Brentford in October 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United celebrated an encouraging end to last season, lifting the FA Cup thanks to goals from of two of their most promising youngsters, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. The teenage pair are considered the future by many, alongside 21-year-old Rasmus Hojlund.

The Dane managed 16 goals in all competitions for United, including 10 in the Premier League. After failing to find the target in the opening 18 league games of the season, there were concerns that he had failed to make the grade, before a run of seven goals from his next six padded those stats and allayed fears. Red Devils legend Dwight Yorke understood the difficulties the player had to overcome at first. 

"He came in and he was an unknown – I had no idea who he was," says Yorke, who scored 65 goals in 152 Manchester United appearances after joining from Aston Villa in 1998. "But he came to United and I had to do my research to find out who he is. 

Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United reacts as he speaks with Marcus Rashford during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on September 26, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

"I sympathised with the kid, coming in at 21 under difficult circumstances, where a team is not playing particularly great – not in good form. Where United is as a football club means that all the odds have been against him."

However, despite the relatively strong finish to the campaign, Yorke feels there is still plenty of room for improvement.

"I think now, looking back at the end of the season where he's scored the goals that he's scored, he's done OK," he tells FourFourTwo on behalf of Crypto Casino. "You look at some of the strikers that have come in before him and it's been a bit of a strikers graveyard. So it will have been a bit of a daunting challenge for him.

"He struggled at the beginning but towards the back end of the season he started to progress. So I think I would give him an average score. I'd score him in that bracket between five and six out of 10, with potential to improve, I would say."

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Ed McCambridge
Staff Writer

Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.