Manchester United’s mercurial centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund pledged to “show myself on the biggest stage” ahead of this month’s Europa League final.
The Denmark international netted the third goal in United’s 4-1 win over Athletic Club during the semi-finals at Old Trafford on Thursday night. This victory sets up a final clash against fellow Premier League competitors, Tottenham Hotspur, on May 21. This match offers a glimmer of hope for redemption in a season that has seen disappointing domestic performance.
“I understand the significance of this football club,” Hojlund said this week, as reported by The Guardian. “There is a lot of pressure, but that’s exactly why I’m here. I want to prove myself on the biggest stage.”
Hojlund’s goal against Athletic was his second in three games. However, this season and his entire tenure at United have been marked by lengthy goal droughts. The 22-year-old had to endure nearly four months to score his first Premier League goal last season, and he faced a 21-game dry spell across all competitions in the middle of the current campaign.
“There’s been hard times,” Hojlund acknowledged. “When I go without a goal in a lot of games, I wouldn’t say I lose self-belief, but you’re going to be a bit more down and a bit more frustrated. But then it’s about going back to the basics – focus on what I can and try to improve myself, try to talk with my teammates [about] getting [into] better positions, these sort of things.
“But when you ride a rough spell, when you come out the other end – that absolutely makes you better.”
Ruben Amorim has questioned the value of winning the Europa League, but his No 9 only saw the positives. “It’s good – I’m very happy with being in the final,” Hojlund explained. “We play to win trophies and we are in a good position now to go and win a European trophy. It can give us something next year and the trophy is always very important, especially for such a big club.”
