Joshua Zirkzee is out for the season, leaving Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim with Rasmus Hojlund as his only recognised senior striker for the remainder of the campaign. Bet you can’t guess what Harry Redknapp’s solution is…
“Do you know what I would do. I’d stick with Harry Maguire up front.”
Ok, you did guess. Redknapp continued:
“I would, I swear. He gets on the end of things, he’s a target. I’d work with him there for the next couple of weeks. They haven’t got anybody. The other boy [Hojlund] can’t score a goal. I’d get him on diagonals. I’d get people around him. He’d be like a Crouchy [Peter Crouch] or something. He’s unstoppable in the air. We’ve seen it over the years. I think Maguire could do a job short term.”
We assume we speak for everyone in saying there are few things we would enjoy less than seeing Leny Yoro humping the ball into the box for Maguire while Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho feed off his scraps as opposition players lie prostrate in the box.
In a bid to make it so we’ve compiled some stats from this season to show Amorim that Maguire would indeed be a better bet than Hojlund.
Stoppage-time winners/equalisers
Harry Maguire – 3
Rasmus Hojlund – 0
The number of goals is damning in itself (eight for Hojlund; four for Maguire) but what we love about three of Maguire’s four being crucial stoppage-time goals is the Fuck It, I’ll Do It Then-ness of it after his teammates – Hojlund chief among them – have failed to do their bit.
And you do have to wonder after a 91st-minute equaliser against Porto, a 93rd-minute winner against Leicester and that 121st-minute winner against Lyon what might happen if Maguire going up top wasn’t always just a last-gasp move made in desperation. Maguire’s record of scoring goals while playing as a striker this season must be better than any actual striker playing anywhere.
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Goals per shot
Harry Maguire – 0.18
Rasmus Hojlund – 0.17
Mohamed Salah’s goals per shot is also 0.18 which can be framed in one of two ways: either Hojlund isn’t actually that bad at shooting and the problem isn’t him but the service he’s receiving, or (and this is our preferred way of looking at it) Maguire is as good as Salah so it would be pure madness not to be making use of his extraordinary ability in the box.
Touches in attacking penalty area
Harry Maguire – 48
Rasmus Hojlund – 96
Most of Maguire’s 48 will be from set pieces, from which his bonce is something of a magnet, but even if he got his head on every single corner and free-kick, it remains extraordinary that Hojlund has only had twice as many touches, and from more minutes, by the way (Hojlund – 2651; Maguire – 2200). That’s just over three touches in the box per game for a striker.
Kyle Walker Peters has had the same number as Hojlund in the Premier League (56).
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Goals minus expected goals
Harry Maguire – +0.4
Rasmus Hojlund – +0.4
It’s hard for there to be a big swing, positive or negative, if you’re a striker who does f*** all and that’s borne out in Hojlund’s score. It’s almost as if his season has never got going.
Tackles in attacking third
Harry Maguire – 1
Rasmus Hojlund – 2
A win for Hojlund! But this is arguably the most damning statistic of all. How can a striker in a team that’s supposed to be pressing have managed just two tackles in the attacking third? He ranks 319th in the Premier League.
Live-ball passes that lead to a goal
Harry Maguire – 1
Rasmus Hojlund – 1
Hojlund’s got four assists but two of those were from penalties and the other saw him fall on the ball to push it into a teammate’s path, and we have very little doubt Maguire would be as good if not better at winning fouls and falling over.
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Completed passes into penalty area
Harry Maguire – 3
Rasmus Hojlund – 3
It’s at this point that it’s fair to wonder what the bloody hell Hojlund is doing if he’s not scoring goals, assisting them, getting on the end of passes into the box or playing passes into the box. And we can’t help you.
Aerial duels won percentage
Harry Maguire – 74.7%
Rasmus Hojlund – 25%
This is what ‘Arry is talking about – winning second balls after the big man gets his head on it. Only James Tarkowski (75.2) has a better percentage than Maguire in the Premier League; 181 players have a better percentage than Hojlund. Again, what does he do?
Successful take-on percentage
Harry Maguire – 40%
Rasmus Hojlund – 24.2%
There’s a certain frivolity to this one as Maguire has only attempted five take-ons, but still, when Hojlund first arrived at Manchester United we thought this was his bag, barrelling past or through defenders with the ball at his feet. Eight from 33 suggests otherwise. Alexander Isak has completed 41 of 83 and Liam Delap has 37 out of 77.
Shots on target percentage
Harry Maguire – 45.5%
Rasmus Hojlund – 43.5%
There are caveats that work in Hojlund’s favour here, like Maguire’s average shot distance (8.3 yards) compared to his (12.3) and him taking more shots (46) than the centre-back (22), but what more do you want from us? This is the tenth reason.
