Fans don't need to be football experts to know that Manchester United striker Hojlund has been underwhelming this season. The 22-year-old Danish international not only failed to score goals, but also lacked confidence and had a poor relationship with his team-mates. After a good first season, the slump was disappointing.

Last season, Hojlund, who played in the Premier League for the first time, scored 10 goals and took his tally to 16 in all competitions, five of which came in the Champions League. In other words, he scored 15 goals in the Premier League and the Champions League, and he did not beautify himself by brushing statistics against the weaker teams in the lower leagues.

However, Hojlund has not improved heading into the 2024/25 season and spring has arrived, while he has only scored two goals in the Premier League and has yet to break his goal drought after the New Year. The striker can't score goals, which is a big reason why United are currently 13th in the table. Manchester United are on par with Crystal Palace in the Premier League, with 29 goals in 24 games, a few more than Leicester City in the relegation zone (25).

Some data websites have compared Hojlund and Zirkze with a total of 21 players in the top giants, and the results show that Manchester United's two, especially the "freighter", are in the back or even the bottom position. The British media counted Hojlund's shots in a pre-match warm-up, and he scored only twice in 10 starts!

Hojlund's goals per game average is the 20th highest among big strikers, half as much as Zilkze (17th). Mr. £72 million has only scored two goals in 1,116 minutes, so it's no surprise that there is such a ranking.

A closer look at other attacking stats reveals Hojlund's other problems at Manchester United. For starters, he has as always had too few shots, averaging just 1.05 shots per 90 minutes this season, the lowest of all the strikers analysed. Fulham, by contrast, are not a traditional powerhouse and they can't create plenty of chances in the game, but striker Raul Jimenez is second on goal with 3.64 shots per game, behind Manchester City's Erling Haaland. As a result, the 33-year-old Jimenez has scored nine Premier League goals.

Hojlund can blame his United team-mates for not passing enough passes to him, as he did last season, and that's true. But he's also going to improve himself, his ability to take the ball and his ability to create chances on goal. In this regard, its technique is not delicate, and there are often amateur mistakes that must be improved.

In professional football, confidence is very important, and there are strikers who are inconsistent, sometimes sluggish, sometimes scoring in succession, like Hojlund did at the beginning of January last year. Sadly, Hojlund is in a vicious circle at the moment, with an astonishingly low number of touches in the opposition penalty area, averaging less than three per game, and no doubt sitting at the bottom of the table. This suggests that he will struggle to bounce back in a short period of time, as his stats are on par with the worst strikers in the Premier League.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has tried to start Zilkze, or even to play Kobe Mayno in the number nine position, but there will be no answer, because the two have not had as many shots as Hojlund. Therefore, among the forwards in the Manchester United team, fans can only hope that the freighter will find its own route.

In the fourth round of the FA Cup against Leicester City, Hojlund's shot from the spot-up was blocked, the ball bounced off the feet of Zirkze, and the Dutchman scored the first goal in more than 10 games for the United striker. Zirkze cheered with open arms, and Hojlund waved in celebration. However, with more time in the game, the Danish centre-forward was sullen and even a little angry.

Hojlund's last goal was already on December 12. He is like a person who can only eat scraps in a big family, and anger inevitably arises. When Garnacho chose to hit the side-netting with his own foot from a tight angle, Hojlund, who was waiting in front of goal, was furious and grabbed the net and roared.

Hojlund then had a heated argument with coach Amorim on the sidelines. After the game, the 40-year-old Portuguese coach did not criticize Hojlund's words and actions, but reminded him that he must remain calm so as not to get carried away when the opportunity arises.

Amorim also agreed that United as a whole have not given Hojlund and Zirkze enough support, with just 11 shots on goal in 14 games in which Hojlund has scored nothing.

But Amorim also asked Hojlund, who played the whole game, to take part in the full post-match training session, apparently telling the player: "You have to practice again!"

'He's got a lot of character, he's from Denmark where the players always want more, they want to score goals and they feel the criticism. 'It's a good thing, he's going to improve, a striker needs a very good team to support him and give him a good pass, and we're not helping the striker effectively at the moment.'

But it is also related to Hojlund's own shortcomings. Against Fulham's Premier League fixture, Lisandro Martinez, who is still uninjured, scored the winner, while Hojlund complained that the team had too many long balls that made it difficult for him to deal with. 'We have to take responsibility for the long balls we send to the strikers and they struggle because they are facing two centre-backs. Lima said: "The centre-backs in the Premier League are very difficult to play with, you don't have easy access to them. But they have to do better as well, they are good players. We should also do a better job of helping them, putting them in better spaces or positions, and then passing the ball and helping them score."

Hojlund is capable in terms of pace and frontal impact, but he is over 1.9m tall and less than satisfactory in duels, headers and possession. He's not one to create too many chances on his own, and the controversy over his £72million price tag and his growing habit of complaining about his team-mates' body language are not conducive to getting more support. Who would be willing to pass the ball to a teammate who is always scolding themselves and annoying others when they can pass and shoot? In the past, Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel have been able to scold their United team-mates because they first proved themselves with their performances and earned qualification, while Hojlund did not have that status.

For now, signing a striker will be Amorim's top priority in the summer transfer window, and he is keen to sign his former club Sporting for Sporting's Dzekereish or Napoli's Osimhen. Hojlund didn't have much time to complain, and perhaps he should learn an old Chinese saying: "Heaven is strong, and a gentleman is self-improving."