Manchester United youngster Rasmus Hojlund must be feeling frustrated at his lack of service at the moment, but is not quite senior or proven enough to demand more from his teammates, according to Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand.
The former Man Utd centre-back, speaking on his YouTube show Vibe With Five, admitted that Ruud van Nistelrooy once had a similar issue during his time at Old Trafford, with the Dutch striker lashing out at Cristiano Ronaldo after being so frustrated at the inconsistency of his deliveries into the box.
However, Ferdinand says Hojlund isn’t there yet in terms of being a proven player who can speak out like that with the authority that a world class striker like Van Nistelrooy had at that time.
“Ruud van Nistelrooy more or less had Cristiano Ronaldo in tears almost one day, saying, ‘How can I make my runs when you don’t cross the ball?’ That’s how Hojlund must feel right now with the wide players he’s playing with,” Ferdinand said.
“The difference was Ruud was the main guy in our team, the main goal getter, he had the experience, the gravitas, he could pull up young guys and say, ‘Oi put the ball in the box’ – and he said a lot more than that by the way.
“Hojlund ain’t that guy yet, he’s getting his feet under the table, unless he’s that guy who can pull people up…because he needs to.”
Hojlund joined United from Atalanta during the summer and looks like a promising young talent, but he’s not really going yet since moving to the Premier League, and it might be that fans will need to be patient before getting to see the best of him.