Rasmus Hojlund has reflected on how he was made to wait 15 matches before opening his Premier League account.
The Manchester United starlet hit the ground running in the Champions League, scoring five times in the group stage before they were ultimately rendered in vain after the side finished bottom of the group.
With each passing week in the league, fans were eagerly awaiting seeing the net ripple from their blockbuster summer signing. Hojlund signed on a £72 million package deal from Atalanta last July, so it’s clear why there were high expectations set of him the moment he arrived at Old Trafford.
His maiden contribution in the top flight came on Boxing Day during the Reds’ triumphant comeback win over Aston Villa. Alejandro Garnacho kickstarted the turnaround with a second-half brace before the Dane latched onto a loose ball and fired it home to make it 3-2 in United’s favour.
Speaking to TV Sport 2 (cited by the Standard), Hojlund recalled: “There I thought: ‘Finally!’ It was great to shut people up.
“Of course, it bothered me a bit that people kept talking about this Premier League goal that hadn’t been scored, whereas not many people were talking about the fact that I was top scorer in the Champions League at the same time. I couldn’t quite get my head round that, so it was even nicer to change that 0 to 1.”
He added: “I could feel the support from day one, but it’s clear that there are many who want to see you down because you’ve reached the level you’ve reached, and there are many who may be envious.
“There have been many positive comments, but there have also been some negative ones that I’ve had to sort through. At first, it was a bit difficult to distinguish between one and the other. I’m from a generation where mobile and social media are read an insane amount.
“I quickly realised that you rarely get anything out of either the good or the bad, so I quickly decided to put it away before a match.”
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