Erik ten Hag explains Man Utd's plan for injured Rasmus Hojlund
- Hojlund completed a £72m move from Atalanta this summer
- Striker arrived with an injury and did not feature in pre-season
- Ten Hag is prepared to explore his options until Hojlund is ready
By Tom Gott
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has insisted the club will remain patient with new striker Rasmus Hojlund as they wait for him to recover from injury.
A £72m signing from Atalanta this summer, Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford carrying an injury and is therefore unavailable as United kick off their Premier League season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday evening.
Just when Hojlund will be ready to train with his new teammates is unclear but Ten Hag stressed that United will not take an unnecessary risks with their new striker.
"We are not in a rush," Ten Hag said. "We know without him we have also a strong team and the position is covered so we don't rush in this. It is about that he is in the right level, the first fitness level and then we have to integrate him, training and bring him in for the games so we take our time.
"It is not about winning in this moment, it is about winning in the long term."
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In the meantime, Ten Hag has a number of options available to him. Anthony Martial is back in training after recovering from his own injury, while Jadon Sancho saw plenty of minutes as a central striker during pre-season.
Ten Hag could also opt to deploy Marcus Rashford at the top of his team sheet, although most of the Englishman's best moments last season came out on the left wing.
"I am quite calm and composed in this situation because Rashy is very good as a striker, we have seen him as a striker," Ten Hag explained. "Anthony Martial is available as well and then we have Jadon Sancho, who did very well in preseason so we constructed a squad and can deal with this.
"That is the way, we do not do things overnight. There is a strategy behind it."
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