Rashford is the one killing this Hujlund if not we could have start comparing Him with Haaland,the best thing to do tomorrow is to bench Rashford’: Man United legend Paul Scholes tells Ten Hag to play £50m player upfront if He really wants to triumph against Fulham tomorrow
Tomorrow, Manchester United will look to win their fifth Premier League game in a row as they welcome Fulham to Old Trafford.
In the reverse fixture, Bruno Fernandes scored a last-minute goal to hand the Red Devils all three points in a narrow 1-0 victory.
Last weekend against Luton Town, Erik ten Hag’s team started brilliantly, with Rasmus Hojlund scoring two goals within the first seven minutes as they picked up a 2-1 win.
However, the boss will be gutted to hear the news that his star striker is set to be unavailable. But who could enter the starting XI in place of the Dane?
Rasmus Hojlund’s injury
After moving to Man United in the summer for a large £72m fee, Hojlund has finally started to find his feet in England after struggling domestically to begin with, failing to score in his first 14 Premier League games.
The 21-year-old’s first goal arrived on Boxing Day against Aston Villa, scoring the winner in a 3-2 win, and since then, he’s become the most in-form player in England. The former Atalanta star now holds the record as the youngest-ever player to score in six consecutive Premier League games, while also being United’s joint-top scorer with seven goals.
However, it was announced earlier today that Hojlund is set to miss two or three weeks with an injury. Luckily, Ten Hag has confirmed that it is only a minor injury that shouldn’t extend past the predicted spell on the sidelines.
With Anthony Martial inevitably sidelined himself, it is expected that Marcus Rashford will lead the line in Hojlund’s absence. However, there is one player who could fill the void alongside the academy graduate.
Scott McTominay must be unleashed vs Fulham
27-year-old midfielder Scott McTominay has scored some incredibly vital goals this season, notably against Brentford and Aston Villa, which have earned his side a further four points.
The Scotland international has been deployed as a defensive midfielder in the past, but Ten Hag has used him as a box-crashing eight this season, which has seen him score seven goals in the Premier League, the same as Hojlund.
This weekend, the former Ajax boss could look to field the number 39 in the ten role behind Rashford, with Fernandes moving out to the right and Alejandro Garnacho moving to his preferred left-wing position. On paper, this would look like a 4-2-3-1, but in game, it could mirror a 4-4-2, with McTominay very much playing as a centre forward.
Football analyst Ben Mattinson has also been in favour of this idea previously, stating:
“Unsure whether this ship has sailed but he’s a top player who for a while has been misused as a DM when he’s best as a box-crashing 8 and could even do a job as a ST/SS.”
Fulham will inevitably deploy a low block with the aim of frustrating the hosts, and therefore McTominay is arguably the best Hojlund clone in terms of being a handful in the box and mirroring his movement.
Considering the Scot “loves a goal,” as per Rio Ferdinand, he would provide much more in the final third than Antony, who is the other likely replacement for Hojlund – the Brazilian hasn’t scored all season in the league, meaning that McTominay should be given the nod.
