Why Rasmus Højlund Shouldn't Be Manchester United 's Striking Target

• Who Is Rasmus Højlund?
• Should United Be Signing The 20-Year-old?

Manchester United have been linked with Højlund this summer. The Atalanta forward is one of the most sought-after young strikers in the World, and the Mancunians reportedly had a bid rejected by the Serie A side.

Profile

Rasmus Højlund is 20 -year old Danish centre-forward. Atalanta signed hm from Austrian side Strum Graz last summer for €17.2m.

He started his career at Brondby and Holbaek Youth before joining Copenhagen Under 19s. Højlund also made his international debut for Denmark in September 2022.

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Strengths & Weaknesses

Højlund is a tall, strong young striker with pace, a sharp left foot, and also an impressive shot power – really, he can strike a ball… well!

A fine finisher, but a young striker who still struggles with consistency on the pitch, and also with imposing himself and impacting the game when needed.

That said, Højlund can also play as a second-striker who uses space created by the runs of his striking partner. In Italy, he has Zapata, Ademola Lookman, and sometimes Muriel.

Why Manchester United Should Not Be Targeting Rasmus Højlund

Although he supported Manchester United as a kid because of Cristiano Ronaldo, Højlund should not be the striker Manchester United get this summer. The Old Trafford side want to challenge for trophies, and winning the Premier League next season will be on that list.

STAT – In 32 games (20 starts) (1,834 minutes) Rasmus Højlund scored 9 league goals and provided 4 assists in 2022/23 for Atalanta

An unproven inconsistent young striker might not be able to shoulder the responsibility of firing Manchester United to the EPL, or UCL title next season. Højlund’s potential is undoubtedly exciting to think about, but Manchester United need a proven goalscorer with a little more expertise and experience.

Erik ten Hag already has inconsistent players. The likes of Antony, Martial, Gernacho and Jadon Sancho already represent a level of inconsistency of output in attack for Manchester United, why add an expensive probability to the mix?

Atalanta are also looking to make 3x profit in just under a year as they’re asking for €50-€70m for the 20-year-old. Manchester United will be better off spending on proven frontmen in Europe. Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen, Ramos or perhaps an unorthodox move for Brentford’s Ivan Toney could be better deals.