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Sport
Alasdair Mackenzie

Manchester United players 'refusing to pass' to goal-shy team-mate: report

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

The mood around Manchester United is despondent as Erik ten Hag’s side limp to the finish line of a disappointing season.

Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal was their second straight loss, coming after a humiliating 4-0 thumping by Crystal Palace, and the Red Devils have one win in their last eight Premier League outings.

That shocking run has seen them slide to eighth in the standings with two games to go, the prospect of Champions League qualification now long gone.

To make matters worse, there have been rumours of discontent within the squad, particularly around misfiring striker Rasmus Hojlund.

The 21-year-old, who arrived from Atalanta last summer, hit a prolific run of form in February but has since mustered one goal in 10 games.

Hojlund has hit a dry spell in recent weeks (Image credit: Getty Images)

Overall, the Denmark international has struck 14 times in 40 games across all competitions as he gets to grips with leading the line for the Red Devils.

However, the Manchester Evening News reports that Hojlund’s team-mates have lost faith in him to the point that they are reluctant to pass him the ball.

A member of the United squad said players are looking for other options in the final third as confidence in Hojlund wanes.

The report points out that the Danish striker touched the ball just 14 times in Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal.

He is hardly alone in finding the goal difficult to find, though.

United have collectively scored once in their last three games and their seasonal tally of 52 goals is ranked joint-12th in the Premier League. 

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Gary Neville for error in Manchester United loss vs Arsenal

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