Erik ten Hag has been given the hard truths of huge summer signing Rasmus Hojlund, and why the Denmark striker is more comparable to a Championship level striker than the Erling Haaland comparisons he received prior to his signing.

Erik ten Hag stated that Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund struggles in comparison to Tottenham’s Roberto Soldado.

United paid Atalanta a whopping £72 million for the relatively inexperienced 20-year-old, who had only played at an elite level for one season before to his departure. And, while Hojlund has five goals in six Champions League games for Manchester United, a tally he will not be able to enhance given the club’s early withdrawal from the competition, he has yet to break his Premier League duck.

Indeed, Hojlund has appeared in 13 Premier League games for United, with 10 of those appearances coming from the start. And, despite having played 888 minutes for the Red Devils, he is yet to score his first goal in the tournament.

And the striker had a tough afternoon at Anfield on Sunday, scarcely getting a chance at goal as his United side eked out a goalless draw against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

During their lengthy summer chase of Hojlund, the attacker garnered favorable parallels to his fellow Scandinavian, Erling Haaland, owing primarily to his bustling style.

While Alan Shearer believes the 20-year-old will ultimately mature, Tony Cascarino, another former Premier League striker, believes Hojlund is more akin to a Championship-level attacker.

He also compares his failure to make an impact at Old Trafford to Tottenham’s disastrous £26 million recruitment of Roberto Soldado in the summer of 2013.

Rasmus Hojlund slammed Manchester United as a waste of money

The Spanish striker joined White Hart Lane from Valencia in August of that year for a then-club record price.

He struggled to adjust in north London, finally leaving for a bargain £10 million move to Villarreal two years later. Soldado, who retired this summer at the age of 38, scored just 16 goals in 76 games for Tottenham.

Cascarino told The Times that he fears Rasmus Hojlund will be another pricey and failed import: “I can’t believe Rasmus Hojlund hasn’t scored a Premier League goal yet.” He cost £72 million to join Manchester United, has started 10 games, and it’s almost Christmas!

“He’s only 20 years old and hopefully he turns out to be a good player, but I can’t remember a striker making a start like this to his United career.”

“This will sound harsh, but he reminds me of a good Championship centre forward who battles away, fights for everything, not much pace,” Cascarino remarked. I’ve seen flashes of brilliance, but nothing that has made me believe, ‘He’ll get 20 goals’.

“As a manager, you can’t afford to wait too long for a striker to produce. I think of Tottenham Hotspur’s Roberto Soldado.

“They gave him two seasons, the second of which was even worse than the first.” It’s like a goalkeeper who keeps dumping it in the net – if you don’t move on quickly enough, you’ll be fired.”

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As Tottenham fans will attest, despite arriving with a high reputation in LaLiga, Soldado was just not very good and was not suited to impress in the Premier League.

United is now concerned that Hojlund may follow in his footsteps….

Meanwhile, United’s other summer target, Harry Kane, has gone on to have a record-breaking start at Bayern Munich, scoring 24 goals in his first 21 appearances.

While Ten Hag may believe he has a “future player” in Hojlund, managers live and die by their transfer decisions. As it stands, the verdict is still out on all three of United’s significant summer purchases, with Andre Onana (who has struggled for form) and Mason Mount (who has been injured) also struggling to justify their high costs.