Rasmus Højlund could be Milan’s new striker...
Much to the delight of Manchester United fans, and even his own teammates. Over the past few days, the Danish forward has been heavily criticised, almost demonised within the dressing room. A senior figure questioned the former Atalanta man’s work rate, and on the pitch there have often been moments when teammates seemed reluctant to pass him the ball. He has also been accused of lacking effective pressing and losing too many duels. A €77.8 million investment that has failed to deliver, with the numbers speaking for themselves: 26 goals in 95 matches. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the UK’s richest man, who inherited Højlund in the “package” purchased from the previous ownership when he took over United, certainly won’t be losing sleep over selling him.
So many flops since Ferguson’s departure...
But Højlund is only the latest in a long line of players who arrived at Old Trafford with huge expectations and left branded as “flops.” It happens at every club, but at United it has almost become the rule. As if wearing the Red Devils shirt suddenly turns players into underperformers. The list since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement is long and filled with big names: Ángel Di María, Radamel Falcao, Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Alexis Sánchez, Donny Van De Beek, Jadon Sancho, Antony, just to mention a few. Many others, while not outright failures, still delivered well below expectations. But why is this happening?
The crushing weight of expectations
First of all, it’s about status. Statistically, Manchester United are said to be the most supported football club in the world. Their Instagram account has 64.5 million followers. Manchester City, a direct rival who has won far more in the past decade, has “only” 56.2 million. A massive global fanbase means massive responsibility, and massive pressure. Since Ferguson’s departure in 2013, United have failed to win a single Premier League title. With every passing year, the frustration grows, and as hated rivals (not only City, but also Liverpool) collect trophies, the pressure intensifies further. Old Trafford is now widely seen in England as a graveyard for footballers. Besides, when you look at the names, it’s clear they didn’t all suddenly become mediocre.
Problems start at the top
There’s a deeply ingrained culture of failure that begins at the very top and trickles down to the entire club. Just recall Cristiano Ronaldo’s words when he left United after his last spell: “The Glazers don’t care about the team, at least not the sporting side.” The start of the Ratcliffe era hasn’t exactly inspired optimism either. Among his first moves were laying off several club employees and raising ticket prices. That is hardly the most reassuring first impression.
Source: Milannews.it
