Manchester United recovered from two goals down to beat Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Boxing Day – as striker Rasmus Hojlund scored his first Premier League strike
Paul Scholes reckons the return of Christian Eriksen will help Rasmus Hojlund fire Manchester United up the Premier League table.
The 20-year-old striker scored his first Premier League goal in their thrilling Boxing Day comeback against Aston Villa, causing Old Trafford to erupt with joy. United had slipped two goals behind before Alejandro Garnacho scored a brace to level the game.
Erik ten Hag’s side had scored just 18 goals in the Premier League before their victory against Villa. The Red Devils still boast one of the worst attacking records in the division, with only Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sheffield United scoring fewer goals this season.
Despite scoring five goals in six Champions League games this term, Hojlund had struggled domestically to lead some to question his price tag. The Denmark international completed a £72million switch from Atalanta to United in August.
Yet Eriksen, playing in his first full game since early November, made a big difference to Ten Hag’s starting XI against Villa. United legend Scholes believes Eriksen can provide the service his compatriot Hojlund needs to keep his goal tally ticking over.
“(I’m) so happy for the lad,” Scholes told Premier League Productions when asked about Hojlund’s winner. “It’s been a tough start to his Premier League career. Hopefully, he can get up and running and score the goals he deserves to score.
“Christian Eriksen being in the team will help. He makes a big difference. I don’t think he was especially brilliant tonight. But he is the player that, when they get the ball, (Bruno) Fernandes as well, they know that if this boy makes the right run it will come.”
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Hojlund expressed his delight after the Boxing Day game. He told Amazon Prime: “It has been a while, but yes I am very happy. I am the happiest man alive right now. You can see from the celebrations as well… we believed in ourselves until the very end.”
Hojlund added: “As the manager has said before I have scored a few goals in the Champions League but of course it has been a while in the Premier League before scoring. Now I have got it and I hope I can just build on that and keep going.”
Ten Hag, meanwhile, told Match of the Day: “He knows he can do it at any level. The Premier League is close to the Champions League, so it will come and give him confidence. When strikers have confidence, they will score.”
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
