Erik ten Hag now has major selection dilemma at striker after Rasmus Hojlund’s return

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Erik ten Hag now has a real selection dilemma on his hands in the striker position, following Rasmus Hojlund’s return to fitness…

Manchester United Football Club may have drawn away at Crystal Palace on Saturday, but there were certainly positives to take away from the game. First and foremost, Erik ten Hag’s side controlled the match though unfortunately, they just couldn’t find that all-important winner.

The game itself was largely one way traffic and it felt nice watching United stay on the frontfoot for large portions of a game. That has rarely happened recently.

Another huge plus is suddenly, this squad looks deep. The bench for the Palace game was incredibly stacked, following the injury returns of both Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund. Here, we’d like to focus in on the Dane, who hasn’t played yet this term.

Without Hojlund, United have been playing without a recognised number nine. Perhaps his comeback will see an up-tick in the amount of goals scored by the Old Trafford club – though his place in the team is by far from a guarantee…

Suddenly, Ten Hag has a huge selection headache in the key position, with Joshua Zirkzee also looking super sharp.

Although the Dutchman isn’t an out-and-out striker, it’s clear he has what it takes to lead the line at a high level, due to his excellent hold-up play and ability to bring others into the game.

However, it’s a great problem to have. United suddenly have two very good, very different footballers who can start at striker on a match-by-match basis.

The question is, who’ll be the main man?

First and foremost, we’d like the rule out the possibility of both starting games together regularly, as that’d mean Zirkzee dropping back into the #10 position and we all know that when Bruno Fernandes is fit, he will start. The only time I see them both on the pitch together is when United are chasing a goal late on and they move to a two-up top system.

Hojlund has the added bonus of already being here for a season. He knows the system, he’s led the line well, he’s the new number nine. If it weren’t for his pre-season injury, I feel fairly confident in stating that Zirkzee wouldn’t have started as many games as he has so far.

Zirkzee’s performance make the early battle more intriguing

The Dutchman scored on debut and has been mightily encouraging in his starts since that opening game against Fulham. His hold-up play and ability to link-up with his teammates, particularly Amad, has been impressive to watch. He seems to have built an instant chemistry with the attack and United’s side seems to flow much better with Zirkzee in the team.

He’s certainly made an excellent positive impression to kick off his Red Devils career.

Everyone is a winner

It’s a nice problem to have. Both Hojlund and Zirkzee have very different styles, giving Ten Hag the option to rotate his forward depending on the opponent.

Not only is it beneficial to have two players from a stylistic point of view, it also helps keep the pair fresh. If we’re being honest, Hojlund was tasked with starting way too many games during his debut season purely due to the fact he was the only option. No doubt he would have benefitted from some time off, particularly over the busy winter period.

Squad depth is massive in this day and age. Both will be more than happy with the amount of playing time they’ll receive, but if you pushed me for an answer, I’d imagine the position is initially Hojlund’s to lose when he is back to 100% fitness.

Who do you think will be given the lion’s share of minutes up top? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

About Jordan Street 19808 Articles
Mancunian. Red through and through. Season Ticket holder block E332.

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