Rasmus Hojlund was ‘fortunate to be on the pitch,’ according to Paul Scholes, after scoring his first Premier League goal after 1026 minutes of activity.

Rasmus Hojlund needed 15 games to score his first Premier League goal. 

Hojlund declared himself the ‘happiest guy alive right now’ after scoring the winner in Manchester United’s 3-2 Boxing Day triumph over Aston Villa.

The Denmark international striker joined Old Trafford for £72 million this summer, but it took him 15 appearances to score his first goal in the Premier League.

United manager Erik ten Hag is reported to have planned to replace Hojlund in the second half before his 82nd-minute winner, but elected to leave him on and replace Marcus Rashford after the latter picked up a knock.

‘He does have a little bit of luck with the goal,’ United icon Scholes said after the game to Premier League Productions.

‘He’s lucky to be on the field. But, like Michael [Owen] stated, when you haven’t been scoring goals, it’s always best to not think about it and act on instinct.

‘He has absolutely no time [with the goal]. It happens in a split second. He’s just thinking about the far corner because it’s the only spot he can score.

Rasmus Hojlund claims to be the “happiest man alive right now.”

‘Look, I’m overjoyed for the lad. His Premier League career has had a rocky start. Hopefully, he can get back on track and score the goals he deserves.’

Following the win over Villa, Scholes hailed Rashford, who had an assist, as well as midfielder Christian Eriksen.

‘They looked a real threat after the first 25 minutes tonight,’ Scholes remarked. ‘They looked like they could score goals for the last hour.

‘Marcus Rashford appeared to be back to his best. He was a little more alive. Alejandro Garnacho scored twice, while Rasmus Hojlund also scored.

‘You have to realize that a lot of these players are young and will be unreliable. However, they must now expand on this.

‘Christian Eriksen’s return to the team makes a tremendous difference.’