Man Utd Fans Demand Amorim Stops Playing Ace Who Was ‘Limiting the Team’ vs Saints.
Manchester United completed an emphatic turnaround to win 3-1 against Southampton in the Premier League, thanks to a late hat-trick from Amad Diallo to cap a memorable night at Old Trafford.
It was never straightforward for the home side, however. After destroying Arsenal’s hopes of progressing in the FA Cup last weekend with an admirable ten-man display at the Emirates, Ruben Amorim’s men initially struggled to overcome 20th-placed Southampton. A sub-par attacking display, especially in the first half, indicated that issues still remain in the team’s front line, and one particular forward has been underwhelming for several weeks now, and fans are demanding some sort of change.
Eight games and more than 560 minutes have passed since Rasmus Hojlund last found the back of the net, with his last professional goal dating back to more than a month ago. With just two Premier League goals this term in 17 outings, the Dane is now struggling at core striker’s duties and supporters are calling for his understudy, Joshua Zirkzee, to replace him.
Hojlund Woeful as United Struggle vs Southampton
The 21-year-old managed just one shot at goal
It was another dismal run out for Hojlund, who was unable to match the energy of the visitors, despite playing in front of a home crowd. He won just two out of his 10 duels and was dispossessed on two occasions, much to the frustration of supporters. Furthermore, he managed just a single shot at goal, that too being blocked before travelling far enough to be meaningful.
He did manage to create a big chance, however, with a promising cutback to Alejandro Garnacho, but the Argentine struggled to convert the golden opportunity. Ultimately, that was his only memorable contribution, and Amorim had decided he had seen enough just eight minutes into the second half.
Supporters Furious With Hojlund Performance
Many are calling for Zirkzee to start instead
Manchester United fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their frustrations with the current starting striker. Some have cited Hojlund as one of the underlying reasons behind the team’s inability to control games, with one supporter writing:
“You cannot play 40 minutes of football camped in your own half because you have zero outlets & expect not to concede. It’s toothless possession with Hojlund the biggest culprit. He’s been extremely poor lately & it’s limiting the entire team.”
ESPN journalist, Rob Dawson, noted the home crowd shared a similar perspective: “Crowd starting to get really frustrated with Hojlund. Struggling to hold the ball up and get United moving up the pitch.” In fact, one fan had thought he’d seen enough just eight minutes into the tie after the Danish forward struggled with his touch in early proceedings: “Honestly get Hojlund off already. He can’t control a ball”.
Meanwhile, some fans have concluded that with this being Hojlund’s eighth goalless outing, it is now time for Amorim to drop the 21-year-old from the starting eleven. One claimed that: “This Hojlund experiment needs to end”, while another agreed with the sentiment: “Amorim’s been trying to play Hojlund into form for the past two months. At what point does he just give in and admit he doesn’t have the capable ability?”
Should the former Sporting boss look to switch things up, ex-Bologna talisman, Zirkzee, is likely a suitable replacement. The Dutchman has scored more in the league than Hojlund this term in fewer starts and some fans have insisted this is a logical swap. As such, one supporter wrote: “There is no footballing reason to play Hojlund over Zirkzee anymore”.
