DAMNING stats have emerged after £72million striker Rasmus Hojlund was hauled off for academy whizz Chido Obi in Manchester United’s FA Cup exit to Fulham.
The Red Devils, who won last year’s final against rivals Man City, were sent packing on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last night.
AlamyDamning stats have emerged regarding Rasmus Hojlund’s performance against Fulham[/caption]
GettyChido Obi put in an impressive performance despite Man Utd’s FA Cup exit[/caption]
Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee fluffed their lines as goalie Bernd Leno produced two fine saves to send Fulham to the quarters.
And United were once more left to ponder their lack of potency in the final third.
Danish striker Hojlund, 22, started the match as he looked to end his barren run in front of goal.
The former Atalanta man, signed for £72m in 2023, has just seven goals this term – including only two in the Premier League.
Hojlund has not scored since netting a brace in United’s 2-1 Europa League group stage win over Viktoria Plzen on December 12.
But he failed to break his duck after being hauled off the 68th minute with United chasing a goal.
Frustrated boss Ruben Amorim instead preferred to take his chances with Obi, who is just 17 years old and only joined United’s academy from Arsenal last summer.
The teen also failed to net as Bruno Fernandes eventually secured an equaliser for the hosts.
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But Obi looked extremely lively as Fulham’s defence came under some real pressure.
And his stats from last night’s match make for damning reading as far as Hojlund is concerned.
The latter played for 68 minutes, while Obi – who also featured throughout the additional 30 minutes of extra time – was on the field for 52 minutes.
But despite Hojlund getting a longer chance to showcase his abilities, the Dane had just one shot at goal.
In comparison, Obi Martin enjoyed three shots in his shorter time.
All three were deemed to be “big chances”, showing that he was getting himself in the right positions.
And incredibly, that’s the exact same amount of “big chances” that Hojlund has had in ALL 22 of his Premier League matches so far this season.
Going back to last night’s match, there were more unfortunate stats for Hojlund.
He only completed four passes to Obi’s five.
And he was less involved in build-up play with just nine touches to Obi’s 18.
Both men lost four of their duels on the ball.
But Hojlund could only win one in return, with Obi battling for four successful duels.
Their heat maps also make for interesting reading, with Hojlund’s performance barely registering and Obi clearly getting stuck in across several areas of the field.
Indeed, former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer felt Obi put himself on the map last night and will now give Amorim a real headache when it comes to selecting the team for United’s next game against Real Sociedad on Thursday.
Shearer said: “He’s been a real handful in there you know. He’s certainly offered a lot more than Hojlund has when he was on the pitch.
“He’s been a nuisance and tough to play against. I like what I see from Obi, I really do. He’s certainly given them a different option to play with.”
Man United legend Wayne Rooney also hailed Obi, adding: “What I’ve really liked about him is that he’s put himself in some really good positions.
“I’ve been really impressed by him. He looked like the one who could go on and nick it.”
However, Rooney felt that Hojlund’s poor performance was mainly down to a lack of support from teammates.
Urging United’s playmakers to create more opportunities, Wazza continued: “With myself, I had good senior players around me.
“Sometimes I made mistakes and had a bad game but I had good players around me. Hojlund is getting no help.
“I think United play too slow, the ball speed is too slow, and for the centre-forwards they are just waiting around.
“Hojlund’s movement here is really good and he’s unlucky with this one. He has tried and is making runs in behind but United aren’t getting close to help.
“He’s trying to hold the ball and use his body, he is a little isolated. He needs someone he can lay the ball off too and he can then get back in the box.
“Not just Hojlund but Joshua Zirkzee has given up the ball too many times.
“There is not enough creativity and they are not holding up the ball for the midfielders and defenders to support them, it’s a bit of both.”
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