Rasmus Højlund’s reaction to scoring his first Premier League goal for Manchester United to secure a comeback victory over Aston Villa said everything about his emotions, according to the forward.
The Denmark international took 15 league appearances to find the net for the first time, causing many to question his suitability as United’s first-choice striker after arriving for £72m from Atalanta in the summer. But the 20-year-old’s instinctive strike inside the box completed United’s turnaround from being 2-0 down to bring euphoria to Old Trafford.
“There is a relief to score my first Premier League goal, but it isn’t like I haven’t scored goals; I’ve scored five in the Champions League,” Højlund said. “You can see the relief in my celebration as well, but also the feeling of being the match-winner and getting the three points at home against a good opponent. I’m a lucky and happy man.”
Højlund has found success in Europe since moving to Old Trafford but a lack of service has hampered him in domestic football. It looked as if United were set for a third defeat in four matches but they produced, arguably, their best performance of the season after the break as they moved up to sixth in the table.
“I try to focus on my game every day,” Højlund said. “I don’t listen to the media, if I did, I would be crazy. I just focus on my game, focus on winning football matches for Manchester United, focus on becoming better in front of goal and all the other attributes as well.”
Despite his struggles in front of goal before Boxing Day, Højlund has quickly become popular with the United supporters thanks to his work rate, even when he is not receiving the sort of service a Premier League striker would expect. Højlund started down the middle against Villa with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, who scored twice, on the flanks as Erik ten Hag searched for a formula that would offer greater support to the striker.
“I want to say I don’t care who I am playing with,” Højlund said. “I think we all play for Manchester United, so we all have our own different qualities. Whether I am playing with Antony, Garnacho, Rashy, whoever is playing on the wings or in the No 10 position, we have to find each other and create. I love to play with all of them.”
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the club’s existing owners must consult with new investors Ineos over any January transfer deals or a move to dismiss the manager, Erik ten Hag, prior to the Premier League ratifying its deal to purchase 25% of the club’s shares.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s buy-in is expected to take four to six weeks to complete and run beyond the end of the January transfer window. But documents released to the US stock exchange contain provisions guaranteeing that Ineos will be consulted on football matters in the interim.
