Rasmus Hojlund has opened up on the 'annoyance' and 'frustration' stemming from his lack of goals at Manchester United. The 22-year-old has struggled to live up to his £72million price tag since joining from Atalanta in 2023, but he has done enough to retain his place in the Denmark squad.
And it is since joining up with his international team-mates that Hojlund has spoken about a tough period at Old Trafford. The striker ended a three-month goal drought by scoring against Leicester City on Sunday, but he knows that is not enough to lift the pressure of his shoulders.
"I had a little dip [in goals and assists], which of course annoyed me a little," Hojlund told Tipsbladet. "Because, you know, as a striker, it is incredibly important to score goals.
"It has been frustrating. That's probably the right word to use. It has of course affected me a lot in terms of wanting to get on the scoreboard. There's not much else to say other than that it has of course been a period where I would have liked to have done better.
"But, at the same time, it has also taught me a lot. I think I have become a little calmer now. Somewhere, I am mentally in a good place in relation to all this."
Hojlund's crisis of confidence extended to the international stage in 2024, when he went 12 games without scoring for Denmark after bagging seven times in eight matches the year before. The youngster will be desperate to get back amongst the goals and continue rebuilding momentum in a Nations League double header against Portugal this week.
Now away from Carrington and amidst new surroundings, Hojlund admits that a break from United could be a good thing. "It might be helpful to join a group with the boys where you can get some support," he continued.
"It's not that I need to join a mothers' group or anything like that, but it's of course nice to have a change of scenery and get some new, fresh energy. It's fantastic. I love being both in Denmark and generally just up here with the boys."
Hojlund has only managed three goals in 24 Premier League games this season - a figure made more worrying by the fact that Arsenal's makeshift striker, Mikel Merino, has bagged four in his last seven. But the United man has at least found success in Europe since landing at Old Trafford, having scored five times in 10 games this season, and 10 in 16 since the start of last campaign.