Mizgan Masani
Rio Ferdinand feels new Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund may struggle like Darwin Nunez in his first season
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand thinks new signing Rasmus Hojlund may struggle like Darwin Nunez in his first season in the Premier League.
Hojlund has completed his medical and is closing on officially becoming a United player. The Red Devils agreed on a transfer fee in the region of £72m with Atalanta to sign the Danish international.
Liverpool signed Nunez for big money from Benfica last summer and the Uruguayan struggled to have the impact many people expected him to have in his first season in England. Although he showed potential and quality, there were so many raw elements to his game.
Ferdinand feels United fans may witness something similar with Hojlund in the coming season. Here’s what the legend said (h/t Evening Standard):
“Anyone who has seen him play will see there are attributes there that you would like – he’s suited to the Premier League.
“I look at it a bit like Darwin Nunez at Liverpool. Last season was his adjusting season. He’s a young striker coming to the league, everything about him fits the Premier League perfectly but it didn’t go as well as he would have liked.
“But I think this season we’ll see a different player for Liverpool. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens with Hojlund.”
While the comparison is valid and makes sense to an extent, Nunez’s ceiling was higher when arrived at Anfield last summer. The Uruguayan performed and scored big goals for Benfica in the league and the Champions League, including two against Liverpool.
Hojlund, on the other hand, played less than 2000 minutes for Atalanta last season. His record was decent at best in Austria and Denmark before moving to Italy last summer.
So, although the 20-year-old’s attributes are perfect to do well in the Premier League, we might see him take some time to adjust to the surroundings.
The Dane has one key advantage though – the English language. Nunez had no grasp of English when he came to Liverpool last summer and even struggled to understand what Jurgen Klopp was trying to explain at times.
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Hojlund won’t have such issues. The 20-year-old knows the language and would grasp things better as told by Erik ten Hag. These are minute details but they go a long way in making someone feel comfortable in a surrounding.
