Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes issued a stark reminder to team-mate Rasmus Hojlund despite the striker’s crucial late goal salvaging a point in their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.
The Red Devils looked set to suffer a setback on the south coast until Hojlund pounced in injury time, turning home Manuel Ugarte’s shot to level the scores.
Bournemouth had taken the lead through Antoine Semenyo and seemed poised to cling onto their slender advantage, even after Evanilson’s red card reduced them to ten men. But Hojlund’s last-gasp goal in the 96th minute ensured United left with a share of the spoils.
Despite this being only his fourth goal in 29 Premier League outings this term, Fernandes did offer praise but also highlighted the expectations placed on the Danish forward in his interview post-match.
“Strikers are about scoring goals and we all know that, he knows the responsibility of being the No.9 of United and he has to score goals, that’s the demand of a club like this, not only for him, but for everyone else,” Fernandes remarked to MUTV.
“Everyone that plays here who has the qualities to get into the box to score goals has to do it. Today, it was Rasmus, and everyone is very happy to see a striker scoring and hopefully it’s going to give him a little bit of a push for what’s coming.”
Hojlund’s tally of nine goals and four assists in 46 appearances for United this season mirrors the team’s overall performance, with Ruben Amorim‘s side firing 25 shots against the 10-men of Bournemouth, but only finding the back of the net in the dying minutes.
“We could do better,” admitted Amorim in his post-match interview with Sky Sports. “We created chances but we need to do better near the box. It is the small things. We have to understand the foot that is in play, crossing, one v ones. We need to understand the game in that way.”
When quizzed about Hojlund’s contribution, he remarked: “It is always important for strikers to score. But when we look at the game as a striker it is not just the goals. It is a good boost but the next game is a new history and we have to go again.”
With United struggling to find the net consistently, having scored just 39 goals in 34 league matches – a figure surpassed by all but four teams and equalled by West Ham – Amorim is eyeing reinforcements. The club are targeting Wolves’ Matheus Cunha and considering moves for either Ipswich’s Liam Delap or Napoli’s Victor Osimhen to bolster their attacking options.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk