Eye-catching Rasmus Hojlund stat offers Man United fresh hope ahead of showdown with Real Sociedad | OneFootball

A promising Rasmus Hojlund stat has emerged, giving Manchester United hope ahead of their Europa League meeting with Real Sociedad on Thursday.

United’s goalscoring woes this season have been well-documented and unsurprisingly, most of the blame has fallen squarely on the shoulders of their two strikers – Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

However with Zirkzee now primarily being deployed in the number 10 role – and showing positive signs of promise in that position – the pressure on Hojlund has intensified.

The Dane’s long run without a goal extended to 18 games on Sunday as United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Marco Silva’s Fulham.

It has been almost three months since Hojlund found the back of the net, last getting on the score sheet when he grabbed a double against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on 12 December.

He started the FA Cup clash with Fulham but was taken off in the second half and replaced by 17-year-old Chido Obi, who gave the team significantly more attacking thrust.

And with United heading into the game vs. Sociedad without Obi – who is unavailable for selection – the burden of leading the line and coming up with the goods is once again on Hojlund.

Understandably, based on current form, there may be some doubts about his ability to score in San Sebastian but his numbers in European competitions tell a completely different story.

As Statman Dave notes, Hojlund has bagged 10 goals in his last 10 appearances in Europe. No striker aged 22 or younger has netted more in that timeframe.

It sounds unbelievable considering his struggles, especially in the Premier League but the fact remains he’s prolific in Europe.

Perhaps with a bit of luck, he will break his duck against Sociedad and embark on a run, helping United to finish the campaign strongly.

Sociedad vs. United kicks off at 17:45 GMT.

Featured image Gabriel Kuchta via Getty Images

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