Rio Ferdinand: West Ham United ace Jarrod Bowen could unlock Rasmus Hojlund at Manchester United
Rio Ferdinand believes West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen is the ideal type of player to get the most out of Rasmus Hojlund at Manchester United.
Hojlund has impressed for United in the Champions League, but he has yet to score in 12 Premier League appearances since joining for a fee rising to £72million [Sky Sports, 6 August].
Speaking on his FIVE podcast on YouTube, former Man United defender Ferdinand [11 December, 17m 16s] named five players at other clubs who would instantly improve the Denmark international, Bowen among them.
“If Man United had [Michael] Olise, Jack Harrison, [Dwight] McNeil at Everton, Jacob Murphy at Newcastle – any one of those four wingers, I reckon [Hojlund] would have five or six goals by now,” Ferdinand said.
“Why? Because they cross the ball. All four of those boys, their first thought is get the ball, head down, either beat the full-back and cross or give me a yard and cross the ball.
“[Hojlund] needs service. Bowen [is another who would help Hojlund]. These guys want to provide. We’ve got wingers who either want to get a shot off, shoot, beat someone.”
Hands off
Bowen was linked with a move away from London Stadium in the summer and has only continued to impress since then.
However, the England international only recently put pen to paper on a deal that runs through to 2030, so he will not be going anywhere any time soon.
It is staggering that a club of Man United’s stature, that have spent as much as they have, are fielding a striker who has yet to score four months into the league season.
While there is no doubt that Bowen would improve Man United, he is now a centre-forward in his own right having been shifted into the middle by David Moyes out of necessity.
Bowen is very much a team player, but his assists have dropped season-on-season as he has focused more on goalscoring, so he would want to be the main man at Old Trafford, rather than simply looking to unlock Hojlund.
That is a moot point, though, as the former Hull City ace is going nowhere. The honest truth is, there are probably more West Ham players Man United want right now than vice versa, which says more about the Red Devils’ plight than anything else.
In other West Ham news, a talkSPORT broadcaster has predicted what he believes is next for Moyes at London Stadium.