MANCHESTER UNITED will have to rely on Rasmus Hojlund to save their season.
The out-of-form forward has only scored seven times in 35 appearances this season.
Manchester United will have to rely on Rasmus Hojlund in the Europa LeagueGetty
RexChido Obi is not eligible to play in the tournament[/caption]
Hojlund, 22, will now have to lead the line in the Europa League clash against Real Sociedad.
This is due to promising youngster Chido Obi being ineligible to play in the tournament.
Obi will not even be able to play in the Europa League if Man United make it past the LaLiga outfit.
ESPN have claimed that when the club submitted the squad for the playoff round, he was not considered part of the first-team.
The submission did include January signings such as Patrick Dorgu and youngster Ayden Heaven.
Teams competing in European competition have squads split between an A List and a B List, but Obi featured on neither.
He did not even qualify for the B List, which is usually reserved for academy players.
This is because Uefa rules demand that players be at a club for at least two years.
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The 17-year-old has made three first-team appearances for the Red Devils in recent weeks.
He looked lively in the FA Cup defeat to Fulham but is yet to score his maiden goal in professional football.
GettyHojlund has struggled for form in the Premier League[/caption]
GettyChido Obi has impressed in his brief appearances in the first-team[/caption]
He joined Man United back in October after he left Premier League rivals Arsenal.
The one positive for manager Ruben Amorim is Hojlund’s form in Europe this season.
While the former Atalanta striker has struggled domestically for the club, he has proven capable in the Europa League.
Hojlund has scored five of his seven goals in the tournament despite making just eight appearances.
The Dane netted braces against Bodo/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen as well as one goal against Porto.
Hojlund also added an assist to his two goals in the 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt back in November.
His goals in the Europa League are more than any of his team-mates have managed.
Only Christian Eriksen and Amad Diallo have scored more than once in the tournament along with Hojlund.
He will need to return to that level of performance if he is to save Man United’s season.
He struggled as the club were dumped out of the FA Cup by the Cottagers as he was hooked for Obi.
Obi made a much bigger impact during his time on the pitch compared to a mostly invisible Hojlund.
The Red Devils splashed out a stunning £72million to sign the striker in the summer of 2023.
He had come off the back of an impressive season in Serie A in which he scored ten times in 34 appearances.
But since moving to Old Trafford he has regressed massively and appears low on confidence.
Speaking after the penalty shootout defeat to Fulham, Amorim insisted that the striker position is up for grabs.
He said: “Anything can happen in the next games, during training.
“We don’t have a lot of time to train but we need to see the opposition, feel the moment of the player physically, with a lot of games, because we are going to start playing Thursday-Sunday.
“Anything can happen but I will focus just on the next game and not in that way I’m not going to change the striker.
“I will just choose the best players to win the next match.”
Progression in the Europa League is vital for Man United to take any positivity from what has been a miserable season.
The club has been dumped out of both domestic cups and look set for a record low finish in the Premier League.
What would be a shock run to winning the Europa League would see the club sneak into next season’s Champions League.
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Then, after United had recovered to lead 2-1, Dorgu saw a straight red card for a poor challenge on Omari Hutchinson.
Philogene scored again to level it before the break only for Harry Maguire to nod in to be United’s saviour.
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