Wayne Rooney has insisted that he still has “faith” in one Manchester United star and has explained what went wrong with him against Arsenal on Sunday evening.
The Red Devils returned to Premier League action on the weekend and Manchester United and rivals Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim’s men broke the deadlock against Arsenal in first-half injury time thanks to Bruno Fernandes, who scored a stunning free-kick for United.
Despite taking the lead through Bruno Fernandes, United were unable to hold on to their advantage after the break and Arsenal fought back in the second half.
Declan Rice made the difference in the second half for the Gunners and produced an all-important equaliser for Arsenal, with United unable to regain their advantage.
Ruben Amorim’s side had plenty of chances to seal all three Premier League points against Arsenal, but ultimately both sides walked away with a point apiece.
United are 14th in the Premier League table after the 1-1 draw with Arsenal and the Red Devils have won only nine of their 28 league matches in the 2024-25 season.
Wayne Rooney breaks down what Man Utd star Rasmus Hojlund needed to do vs Arsenal
Ruben Amorim put Rasmus Hojlund on the bench for the Arsenal match and Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee led the frontline at Old Trafford.
The 40-year-old United manager withdrew Joshua Zirkzee in the second half after his ineffectiveness in the final third and replaced him with Rasmus Hojlund.
Hojlund’s struggles continued for United and the 22-year-old Danish forward has now not scored in 20 consecutive matches across all competitions this season.
The Denmark and United striker has not netted in 2025 and the last time he scored came in December 2024 with his brace against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League.
United legend Wayne Rooney welcomed Hojlund’s “really important” quality of working hard and highlighted what went wrong with him against Arsenal.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day 2, he said (via ESPN): “I’ve got faith in him. He’s a good player who works hard, which is really important.
“He needs that bit of luck as well, but once he gets a break then more goals will follow.
“As a striker for Manchester United, when you are not scoring goals, there is a lot of pressure and a lot of people questioning if you can do it for United.
“The best thing for Hojlund to do is simplify it. Making runs into the penalty box is as easy at it comes.
“There was an attack late on against Arsenal I highlighted on Match of the Day 2 where Alejandro Garnacho is about to put in a cross and Hojlund needs to have that desire to get in the box.
“He goes to go, then for some reason he stops. If he carries on his run, then he is in the right place around about the six-yard box to get a tap-in for the winner when Bruno Fernandes’ shot is saved.”
Wayne Rooney explains why Rasmus Hojlund is not all at fault at Man Utd
Speaking on Hojlund’s struggles, Rooney admitted that the Denmark international has also been let down by the underperforming players around him.
“When you are short of confidence you have got to make sure you make it into the penalty area and put yourself in a position where you can score,” he added.
“We are still waiting to see Hojlund find his feet for United, but it’s important to point out that the whole team have not been at their best.
“I feel for him from that point of view because, nine times out of 10, forwards rely on their teammates for service.
“United have not been playing well or creating enough chances, so he has not been in a team dominating possession, sliding balls in behind the defence or putting balls into the box.”
United are now set to host Real Sociedad on Thursday for their second-leg round-of-16 tie in the Europa League at Old Trafford, with kick-off slated for 8pm UK time.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/BtgyCWm