‘He hasn’t shown it lately this his opportunity to step up with Rasmus Højlund absence’: Man UTD manager Erig Ten Hag names which United player ‘has to prove a point’ in Hojlund’s absence
In Rasmus Hojlund’s absence, Erik ten Hag will be looking for all of his forwards to step up to the plate.
The Manchester United sensation, who has scored seven goals in his last six league games, has suffered a serious injury that will keep him out of play for two to three weeks.
His efforts have all but eliminated the chance that the Reds would finish in the top four, something that was completely unthinkable over the Christmas break when they were suffering defeats like 3-0 to Bournemouth, 2-0 to West Ham United, and 2-1 to Nottingham Forest.
Consequently, Ten Hag will now have to rely on veterans like Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, and Antony to cover for the void. However, Laurie Whitwell has hinted that Omari Forson, 19, has a chance to surpass his more experienced teammates and start tomorrow afternoon’s match against Fulham, which would be his first-ever Premier League start.
After 19 games, Antony is one player who has significantly underperformed this season as he has not yet scored a goal or provided an assist.
Ten Hag presses Antony for more.
Ten Hag said to media today when asked if he could expect his £86 million acquisition to perform well in the upcoming games: “Yes, absolutely.”
He needs to demonstrate his ability to achieve something. He also has a lot of promise. Although he hasn’t demonstrated it recently, I am aware of his ability, and it is up to him to demonstrate it. Indeed, he will undoubtedly be given his fair share of opportunities. However, I believe that was always the plan.
“You have competition, and he now needs to demonstrate his abilities on the training pitch, along with others, as there are opportunities there.” After recovering from an injury, [Amad] Diallo is performing well in the workouts. Omari Forson’s situation is good. Thus, we have choices for occupying such roles. Therefore, Marcus Rashford is not required to play as a centre forward.
