Man Utd risk RUINING Hojlund with €100m Arsenal hijack

Updated: 15 Apr 2024 12:14 BST
8 min read

Erik ten Hag, Rasmus Hojlund, Man Utd — © IMAGO

Manchester United are reportedly interested in hijacking Arsenal’s move for Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyokeres this summer.

The Sweden international has a €100 million release clause included in his contract with the Portuguese giants, and FootballTransfers have exclusively reported that he is Arsenal’s priority striker target ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

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However, Man Utd are also keen on landing Gyokeres and are prepared to rival the Gunners for his signature, according to HITC. Furthermore, the ex-Coventry City forward is reportedly “open” to joining the Red Devils.

Despite interest from Erik ten Hag’s side, a move to Old Trafford simply doesn’t make sense from any perspective.

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STATS

33

Games
29

Goals
10

Assists

Why Viktor Gyokeres to Man Utd makes no sense

Man Utd spent €73.9m on Rasmus Hojlund last summer and despite a slow start to life at Old Trafford, the Denmark international has 13 goals in all competitions during his debut campaign.

That is a respectable tally, especially considering Man Utd’s poor form this year, and Hojlund has done enough to prove he is good enough to be the Red Devils’ long-term No.9.

© IMAGO - Rasmus Hojlund joined Man Utd in 2023

Adding Gyokeres would therefore present a huge question mark over Hojlund’s future. Both players would expect to start and Ten Hag has never used two central strikers in a front two system in his Man Utd career thus far.

Anthony Martial is due to leave Old Trafford this summer, but signing an experienced head who is willing to play a back-up role would be a far more sensible idea than purchasing Gyokeres - a direct competitor for Hojlund with roughly the same age profile.

The Sporting CP man would come at huge expense but is neither as good as Hojlund right now nor is he forecast to become as good, according to data analytics experts SciSports.

Hojlund vs Gyokeres: Long-term development (SciSports)

SciSkill development

Future prediction (with uncertainty range)

Rasmus Højlund
Viktor Gyökeres

Furthermore, SciSports believe that a move to Arsenal would be a far better idea for Gyokeres. The Gunners have a ‘Club Fit’ score of 82, while Man Utd’s score is a measly 68.

Calculated using a variety of different factors, including potential development and game time, SciSports’ Club Fit tool suggests that joining Man Utd would be a foolish move on Gyokeres’ part.

The Sporting CP man is an excellent player, but Man Utd already have Hojlund in their ranks and given the huge sum of money spent on the Danish youngster, it makes sense to prioritise his development rather than stunting it by adding Gyokeres.