Ian Wright believes that Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund should give Diogo Dalot an earful behind the scenes after Saturday’s surprise defeat at home to Bournemouth. One particular incident against the Cherries saw the Portuguese inexplicably blank Hojlund, who is still on the hunt for his first Premier League goal.
United’s £72million summer signing has had no issues finding the net in the Champions League, with five goals to his name already this campaign. But the English top flight has proven a tougher nut to crack, and Hojlund is yet to get off the mark after 12 appearances.
The Dane once again drew blank against Bournemouth, who ran out 3-0 winners at Old Trafford to spark boos from the home crowd. But Dalot could have laid his team-mate’s first Premier League goal on a plate when United were only one goal down in the second half.
Having made progress on the right-hand side of the visitors’ penalty area, the full-back opted to shoot from a speculative angle instead of looking for Hojlund, who was well-positioned in the centre.
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Dissecting the incident on BBC’s Match of the Day, ex-Arsenal forward Wright said: “When I saw it was Dalot at 1-0… Hojlund had just come on and he wants these chances. It’s good play, he [Dalot] gets in and he’s got to square it.
“I think that’s a total lack of respect for him [Hojlund], he doesn’t even acknowledge him. He’s had a shot from the most ridiculous angle. He’s upset with himself but he doesn’t even look for Hojlund, it was a ridiculous shot and Bournemouth scored a minute later. Hojlund has got to be pulling him up in the dressing room and saying ‘come on’.”
“I understand that they are disappointed and frustrated,” he said. “We all are. We have to do better and we have to do it every game. I have to take responsibility for it. We are really inconsistent. We have the ability but we have to do it every game.
“You need consistency. We can play a very good game against many opponents. We are able to do it but you have to do it every third day. Get it right and the demands are of a certain standard. We have to go to higher standards to deliver it every third day.”
