Amorim praises £50m Man Utd ace who ‘gave everything’ vs Real Sociedad, he created 3 chances | OneFootball

Manchester United battled to a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in their Europa League Round of 16 clash at San Sebastian on Thursday night.

The Red Devils controlled large spells of the game but failed to turn their dominance into a decisive victory.

Joshua Zirkzee fired United ahead just after the hour mark with a clinical finish, capping off an impressive attacking move.

However, controversy struck when VAR intervened to penalise Bruno Fernandes for handball, allowing Mikel Oyarzabal to slot home the equaliser from the spot.

Manager Ruben Amorim singled out Rasmus Hojlund for praise after the game.

He said (via ManUtd.com): “He’s trying really hard. He gave everything. He makes the runs.

“We know that he also has [to play against] a high line and he uses this space to win, to fight.

“The other things are going to appear in the right moment. He has to continue to play, not be anxious in that position.

“He did a great run to win the position. Sometimes the ball comes, sometimes it doesn’t. So he needs to think in the best way, in this case, in the next game.”

Hojlund needs to score goals to turnaround his career

Despite failing to get on the scoresheet, Hojlund made a positive impact on the game.

The Denmark international created three chances and made two defensive recoveries.

He had the fewest touches (19) of any outfield player to play 90 minutes.

However, the blame lies more with his teammates, as he made several intelligent runs to stretch La Real’s high defensive line but was often ignored.

Diogo Dalot had a golden opportunity to deliver a simple cross to Hojlund, who had made a sharp run toward the near post.

Instead, the Portuguese full-back hesitated, opting to wait for more United players to arrive in the box rather than picking out the striker.

Hojlund’s frustration was evident, and Dalot quickly raised his hand in apology after realising his mistake.

Patrick Dorgu, who started at left wing-back, also overlooked Hojlund on one occasion.

The £50 million-rated forward has endured a nightmare 2024-25 campaign, managing just seven goals in 36 appearances across all competitions.

His Premier League struggles have been even more pronounced, with only two goals in 22 outings.

If the United striker fails to re-discover his goalscoring touch soon, he risks being shown the exit door next summer.

Stats from Fotmob.com & Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .