Rio Ferdinand can’t understand why Man Utd players don’t pass to Rasmus Hojlund (Photo: Getty/YouTube)
Rio Ferdinand has blasted Manchester United’s wingers for creating nothing for Rasmus Hojlund, telling them to just ‘put the ball in the bloody box’.
Hojlund has struggled since his £72million move from Atalanta last summer, with just eight goals in 26 appearances so far.
It took the Dane until Boxing Day to score in the Premier League and while he did find the back of the net in United’s 4-2 win at Newport County in the FA Cup, it was another underwhelming performance.
His struggled can be attributed to the lack of service from his teammates, with a damning stat from last month revealing that the 20-year-old was the least passed to striker in the Premier League.
Furthermore, the Red Devils registered 22 shots against Newport – but only one of them came from Hojlund.
Upon hearing these stats, United legend Ferdinand said on the FIVE podcast: ‘This is a young kid still who is still finding his way, working out who he is. No one knows who he is yet, what he’s going to be.
‘As he is the club’s No.9 now they’ve got to really make sure they’re directing everything that’s going to get the best out of him. He’s under huge pressure, imagine being him with Erling Haaland on the other side, still the top scorer but ain’t played for five weeks, seating there chilling.
Antony has made just one assist this season (Photo: Getty)
‘And never mind the rest of the Premier League, the pressure all lies on the price he come for. Surely you’ve got to find a way to get the best out of him.’
United main wingers, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho, have already been heavily criticised for their greediness and lack of creativity, a point underlined by the fact that the pair managed 11 shots between them against the Welsh side compared to Hojlund’s one.
‘We keep saying it, it’s a broken record: Put the ball in the bloody box!’ Ferdinand added.
Alejandro Garnacho was slated for his performance against Newport (Photo: Getty)
‘Put the ball in and around him [Hojlund] when you’re in the wide areas. Don’t try and make it too pretty.
‘He makes good runs when they’re out wide, I’ve seen enough of him close enough to see he makes good runs. But the people from wide areas have got to be told put that bloody ball in the box.
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‘He’s not been allowed to be greedy enough. He’s starved, my man is being starved! He’s dealing with rations at the moment.
‘I don’t know why. Are they looking at him and thinking “he’s dry, I can’t play him the ball”?’
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