Gary Neville has launched a staunch defence of one Manchester United star after admitting that he “doesn’t know” the “pattern of play” at the Red Devils.
Manchester United closed out their Premier League campaign on Sunday with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Brighton at the Amex.
The Red Devils had to settle for an eighth-place finish in the Premier League table, with United level on points with seventh-place Newcastle.
However, United still have one match remaining in their season and Erik ten Hag’s men will return to action on 25th May for the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Erik ten Hag reached his second consecutive FA Cup final as United boss after the Red Devils beat Coventry City on penalties in the semi-finals at Wembley.
The 54-year-old United manager will be hopeful of capturing the FA Cup on Saturday amid growing uncertainty around his long-term future at Old Trafford.
Neville talks Man Utd star’s troubles
Manchester United have endured an up-and-down campaign during Erik ten Hag’s second season at the Premier League club.
The Red Devils managed only 18 wins in the Premier League, with United suffering 14 league defeats and picking up six draws.
Ten Hag was able to reinforce his squad last summer with the arrival of several new signings, including Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund.
Rasmus Hojlund has seen both the highs and lows in his first season at United, with the Denmark striker scoring 10 times in 30 Premier League appearances.
The 21-year-old Danish forward, who scored five times in six Champions League appearances, went his first 14 league matches at United without scoring.
After breaking his drought in the league, Hojlund was in a rich vein of form at the beginning of 2024 before his scintillating run came to an end due to an injury.
Neville admitted that he “felt sorry” for the United striker and believes the club need to “establish a consistent pattern of play” to tap into Hojlund’s full potential.
“Watching Hojlund, I felt sorry for him,” he said in The Overlap’s newsletter, as per the Metro.
“You talk about the difficulty United have had putting out a consistent back four this season. But it’s the same up front.
“Hojlund doesn’t know what the pattern of play is, whether the wide player is going to go to the line or come inside.
“You can see he’s making good runs all the time and then the wide man will come back inside and there will be a 15-pass sequence.
“Another time he’ll drop in and try to join in with that and that will inevitably be the time the wide man decides to get to the line and cross it.
“Until United can establish a consistent pattern of play, being centre forward in that team will be an impossible job.”
Ten Hag on Hojlund at Man Utd
Hojlund came off the bench in his last two Premier League matches and scored in the 3-2 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford and the 2-0 away victory over Brighton.
The Denmark international scored three times in his last 10 Premier League matches for United, with Hojlund tipped to play a key role in the FA Cup final.
Ten Hag previously defended Hojlund’s debut season at Old Trafford and pointed to the injuries that the former Atalanta man has had to contend with in the campaign.
“It could always be better but don’t forget he had three injuries this season,” he said.
“He came in with an injury, missed the start, then he got injured before winter and got injury after winter, which every time has broken his rhythm.
“If you shoot 16 goals for a first season, it’s OK and it’s not over, we have to play the FA Cup final.”
