There is no doubt that there will remain many choice calls for manager Reuben Amorim as the final looms in the Europa League. In particular, there may be few starters glued to Bilbao, given the club’s continued calamity.
Unfortunately, it was the central berth that mostly chose itself, and Portuguese coaches were forced to choose Rasmus Hozilund, who struggled by default, considering the lack of a replacement.
Certainly, the Red Devils were hit with losing Joshua Zilky for what appears to be the rest of the campaign.
Similarly, the decision not to include 17-year-old starlet Chido Obi on his Europa League team has potentially backfired, making Hojlund available to compete as the sole senior striker.
But when Chelsea and Aston Villa – come to the Premier League, Amorim is worth experimenting with a different approach.
How Man Utd replaces Hojlund
Just five days before the important clash with Tottenham Hotspur next Wednesday, there will be a trip to Stamford Bridge on Friday – it may be a wise choice to kick Hodzilund with Dane against drawing a gap against West Ham United, especially over the weekend.
Hojlund Games and West Ham | |
---|---|
statistics | record |
touch | 31 |
Accuracy | 9/15 (60% |
Target shot | 2 |
Target shot | 4 |
Key Pass | 0 |
The dribbling was successful | 0/2 |
A big opportunity has been created | 0 |
I missed a big opportunity | 2 |
Lost Ownership | 13 |
The ground duel won | 1/6 |
A duel won | 3/8 |
Statistics via Sofascore |
That change is far from the teenager’s finished article, but it could potentially throw young Obi into the mix, and has also failed behind the Net himself in his first team appearance of seven times this season.
Something about the “goal machine” at the academy level has found that the previous Arsenal Ace will be much more difficult to step up into senior ranked life, according to analyst Ben Matinson.
Even Amorim later admitted that Obi was “naive” in terms of body use on bees.
As his absence from the Europa League roster explains, Obi probably isn’t ready to lead the first team line, which was undoubtedly thrown early due to Hodzilund’s misery.
A further option could be in the form of Cobby Mine in errone nine roles, as Bruno Fernandez or Amado has a potential solution to that verse, but Amorim wants to consider showing the rest of the academy to the rank of an in-house alternative.
Man Utd can brew Amorim’s next Gyoker
Amorim must be torn his hair because of the lack of a consistent Manchester striker. Meanwhile, returning to Lisbon, Viktor Gyoker continues to move from strength to strength for the sport of CP, achieving 95 goals in just 100 games for the club so far.
Sixteen of these strikes came in just 68 games under the Amorim watch after the Swedes arrived from the city of Coventry in the summer of 2023.
That said, the new United boss may already have his own prolific, inspiring offensive talent.
In the pipeline
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Towering center forward – in a similar shape to the 6-foot-2 gyoker – Musa has been revelation at the U18 level this season, previously being hampered by injuries.
In fact, the promising marksman scored 16 times in just 19 games at the Under-18 Premier League level in 2024/25. It included that return, including a brutal six-goal haul in a 13-1 victory over rival Threes United last month.
That outing showed a complete array of impressive possibilities, with Musa leading the line in a fantastic way, having poacher instincts in the penalty box, while being regularly locked up with devastating effects.
A player who can be operated on the sides if necessary – as Gyoker did in his previous career – is even at the heart of the conflict between Spain and England regarding his international loyalty, which has appeared in both nations at the youth level for now.
It has been reported that he is considered a version of United himself of Barcelona superstar Ramin Yamal.
With Hojlund needing a rest and Obi still looking too raw, Musa may deserve his own chance to impress the Blues, whether it’s from the bench or a surprise start in West London.
Amorim will need to find the next Gyokeres-esque attack through the transfer market or internal options. Why not give Musa the opportunity to showcase why he can be a homemade alternative to Swedish monsters?
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