Erling Haaland, who has expressed satisfaction with his debut season in the Premier League, has encouraged Rasmus Hojlund, another Scandinavian striker and competitor at Manchester, to strive for improvement.
Despite a slow start, Hojlund is showing promise for Manchester United. Haaland currently leads the Premier League in goals with 18, having scored 54 in 57 league appearances for Manchester City.
After breaking his goal drought on Boxing Day, Hojlund has scored in six consecutive Premier League games. United faced a significant setback when he was unavailable for Sunday’s Etihad derby.
Although Hojlund’s first encounter with the derby resulted in a penalty at Old Trafford in October following a VAR review for holding Rodri, Norwegian coach Haaland was impressed by the player.
Despite their differing goal-scoring records and expectations, the two strikers have been compared at times this season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attempted to bring Haaland to Old Trafford in January 2020, but the striker opted to join Borussia Dortmund instead.
Haaland was frequently linked with a move to United. Currently leading City’s pursuit of a treble, he understands the pressure Hojlund will face as the anticipated goal scorer at United.
“He had a tough start, but things improved significantly afterward. He performed well when we faced him. Like me, he’s young and needs to keep developing. As a striker for Manchester United, it’s his responsibility to find the back of the net,” Haaland stated.
