‘Man Utd don’t need Viktor Gyokeres’

Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has hinted that his former club should place their faith in Rasmus Hojlund rather than sign Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Gyokeres, 26, has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford since the appointment of Ruben Amorim, but the Red Devils are expected to face significant competition for his signature from the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona.

The Sweden international has scored 34 goals in 29 appearances for club and country so far this season, but he has only found the back of the net on one occasion since Amorim departed Sporting in early November.

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Meanwhile, Hojlund netted two late goals as Man Utd completed a comeback against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday night, and Hargreaves has suggested that the Dane could become Amorim’s very own Gyokeres at Old Trafford.

When asked whether Hojlund is Amorim’s best centre-forward option at present, Hargreaves told TNT Sports (via The Evening Standard): “That’s for sure, I think he probably knew that before.

“Also [Viktor] Gyokeres is a really similar profile to Hojlund in terms of physicality and size. He’s a great athlete, Rasmus Hojlund as well.

“Obviously there’s things both of them can work on, him and [Joshua] Zirkzee but right now it’s Hojlund, it’s Amad [Diallo] and it’s Bruno [Fernandes], they’re the ones creating opportunities for Manchester United.”

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What has Ruben Amorim said?

In addition to Hargreaves’ comments, Amorim was also eager to praise Hojlund after his brace against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday.

The Denmark international has now notched seven goals in all competitions so far this season and the new Man Utd boss believes the 21-year-old has shown clear signs of improvement over the past few weeks.

“He’s improving,” Amorim told reporters when asked about Hojlund following his Europa League double.

“I think he’s more near the goal now. He knows better the movements he has to do. He could score more this evening but he’s scoring, he’s working, he’s controlling the ball better so he’s improving.

“The other guys are there also on the bench to change the game and they did it.”