Rasmus Hojlund will quickly find himself under intense pressure at Manchester United if his back injury prevents him hitting the ground running, according to Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton.
United have shelled out £72million for the Danish striker but, as Mail Sport exclusively revealed this week, he is nursing a problem that will restrict his early season game time.
An MRI scan conducted on Hojlund as part of his medical revealed a stress response hotspot in his back, which can lead to more serious stress fractures among young players.
It means Erik ten Hag will have to be careful with how often he plays Hojlund for fear of making the issue worse.
Sutton expressed his doubts about the 20-year-old’s scoring record and whether he is good enough for a United side desperately in need of more goals.
Ian Ladyman (left) and Chris Sutton (right) discussed whether Manchester United’s new £72million centre forward Rasmus Hojlund will have the desired impact amid injury fears
Hojlund trains at Carrington on Wednesday as he settles into life at Manchester United
Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off launches with a Premier League preview on Thursday
He told the brand new podcast It’s All Kicking Off: ‘That is incredible. A lot has been made about this signing, over £70million all-in-all.
‘Looking at his record, it’s not like [Erling] Haaland signing for Manchester City, where he signed for them with a real goalscoring pedigree.
‘He was at Copenhagen, went to Austria with Sturm Graz for a season, wasn’t overly prolific there, then Atalanta and he didn’t get into double figures. Nine goals in 30-odd games. That’s not an incredible strike rate as such.
‘I think he will be a work in progress and what doesn’t help is if he has come with a back injury because if you go to a big club you have to hit the ground running and that is going to be his issue.’
Asked by Mail Sport’s Football Editor Ian Ladyman if United had wasted their money, Sutton replied: ‘I’m not saying they have wasted their money but it is not going to help him going into a club where the eyes will be on him, to go and start banging the goals in and he’s got an injury.
Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton fears Hojlund’s injury issue means he won’t hit the ground running
The 20-year-old Dane managed nine goals during his season with Atalanta in Serie A
‘It is important to get his fitness up and play lots of games, then you get in the rhythm.
‘I’m not saying it affects strikers more than other positions but he has been bought to score goals at Manchester United, so the pressure is on.’
Hojlund won’t be involved when United open their Premier League campaign at home to Wolves on Monday night and it was revealed on Wednesday the Arsenal game on September 3 could be his first outing.
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show on Thursday and every week this season.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify