Rasmus Hojlund celebrates after scoring his second goal against Viktoria Plzen. Manuel Ugarte is running behind him.
Rasmus Hojlund (left) is starting to find form in front of goal.
Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen believes Rasmus Hojlund "could surprise people" in a positive way under head coach Ruben Amorim.
Hojlund joined United from Atalanta in August 2023 for an initial fee of £64million, rising to £72m with add-ons, and was tasked with becoming the club's chief goal-getter, despite not turning 21 until earlier this year.
Despite joining the club injured and encountering one or two other setbacks as the season unfolded, he ended his first campaign as a United player with a respectable tally of 16 goals to his name.
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For a player so raw and inexperienced, it was considered as a positive haul for a striker that was tasked with delivering the goods inside the final third within a team that was struggling collectively. As a result of last season's encouraging tally, the hope is that Hojlund will exceed last term's return this season.
Again, a pre-season injury quashed his hopes of hitting the ground running but he has since plundered seven goals in 17 appearances. Five of those goals have come in the Europa League, making him the competition's joint-top goalscorer.
Amid ongoing speculation linking Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres with a reunion with Amorim at Old Trafford, Hojlund will be determined to convince United's hierarchy that they do not need to enter the market for a big-name No.9. And for former United man Owen, Hojlund has the capacity to improve under Amorim.
"People can have an opinion based on what they've seen in the last year or so, but with a new manager, more chances already," Owen told the Manchester Evening News via AceOdds. "He's scored a couple of goals and he has showed signs of being decent.
"He certainly looks like he's got a great attitude and a great work ethic, he didn't look like a goalscoring machine for the last year. However, he has scored a couple of goals already under Amorim and he might be one of these players that all of a sudden just turns inside out with a new way of playing and players around him being better, and all these things could just happen for him.
"When I'm trying to judge players, if I was on the telly at the moment, I would hate to nail my colours to the mast with a Manchester United player. If you've got a judgment over the last handful of years on the Manchester United player, and you're sticking to that, I think you're in dangerous territory because, once somebody gets it right, and once a better player joins, and once everyone gets used to the system and everything else, then, as I say, I think there'll be a handful of players that surprise a lot of people.
"When things start going right for Manchester United, and it's only a matter of time, there will be a few players that absolutely turn inside out and may surprise people. He could be one of them.
"I know people aren't saying he's rubbish or useless or anything else like that. I think people are still undecided, but I think he has the potential to be one of those who just could surprise people and be very good."