It will be intriguing to see what sort of team Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim puts out in their season opener against Arsenal.
His selection calls might throw a hint as to the future of several stars, most notably, Rasmus Hojlund, who has been linked with an exit.
The Portuguese tactician had utilised a fluid front three of Mason Mount, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha in the final pre-season game against Fiorentina last weekend.
The Dane, who performed decently during the US leg, did not even come on as a second-half substitute, which clearly indicated that he was not in the boss’ plans for the upcoming season.
No minutes vs Fiorentina And following Benjamin Sesko’s arrival, his minutes are likely to dwindle even further, even though the Denmark international would love to stay and fight for his place.
However, as explained by Fabrizio Romano (via Sempre Milan), should the ex-Atalanta ace not see any minutes against the Gunners, it would signal the end of his relatively-short United career.
“Calm down, before you say that Hjlund would arrive in Milan on Thursday/Friday that was never the case. We always had to wait for the final stages of this operation, which would always have been postponed until next week, and that remains the case.
“AC Milan knew it was practically impossible to close the Hjlund deal this week. This wasnt the week to close it, and above all, AC Milan still has to close the deal from all angles: with United and the player.
No minutes vs Arsenal could signal the end “Hjlund still hopes to get a chance against Manchester United this weekend. If Amorim decides to play him for 0 minutes, as against Fiorentina, its clear his exit from Manchester United would be complete.”
Even though his stance of not giving up is admirable, it is clear that he currently is not up to the quality required at Old Trafford.
AC Milan would love to close the deal within a week, while four other Serie A teams, as well as Newcastle and Fulham are all interested in his services.
The 22-year-old would prefer a permanent exit, instead of a loan with an option, as would INEOS. We might get an answer by Sunday.
Feature image Vincent Carchietta via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
