Rasmus Hojlund has clearly been overplayed and it is showing as he struggles vs Burnley | OneFootball

Manchester United’s dismal season continued on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 19th placed Burnley in the Premier League at Old Trafford

During the Sheffield United game, it looked like maybe Erik ten Hag was ditching his high-transition style for more of a possession-based approach with Jason Wilcox keen to see the players keep the ball.

But against the Clarets, the hosts reverted to chaos ball and at times, it looked like an end-to-end game with two drunk boxers aiming punch after punch.

The visitors could have won the game if not for some fine saves from Andre Onana. They easily played through the shambolic United press and bypassed the midfield with ease.

Rasmus struggling

United needed their frontmen to relieve the pressure and while the wingers were profligate, striker Rasmus Hojlund hardly ever managed to hold on to the ball under pressure.

The Dane returned to scoring ways after a six-game drought against the Blades in midweek but on Saturday, he hardly saw the ball and his back-to-goal play needs a lot of work.

Vincent Kompany must have instructed his defenders to be tight to him and not allow him touches and they expertly frustrated the striker who could not compete physically.

He lost all three of his aerial duels and did not manage a single shot in his 63 minutes on the pitch and only had 14 touches of the ball (via sofascore).

The 21-year-old managed three passes out of six attempts and was hardly in the game and also lost the ball five times. He could not muster a single cross, long ball or successful dribble.

He was so poor that the manager had to bring on Scott McTominay in his place and asked the Scot to play as the No 9. But he got injured again and the Dane is unlikely to receive any rest.

Needs elite help

This is his debut season and scoring 14 times for the Red Devils at the age of 21 is no mean feat but ideally, he needed more time in adapting to his new home.

Inconsistency is expected but United cannot afford it at present. But due to the poor transfer business, no striker came to help and Ten Hag has been forced to play the Denmark international whenever fit.

The tactics are not helping either but playing in England requires more nous as defenders are always physical and having the ability to drop deep and link up play and get on the ball more need to be learned.

The three-time Champions League winners need to recruit an elite striker so that Hojlund has someone to learn from moving forward. He needs help and has been severely overworked in his debut campaign.

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