‘He’s just a kid’ - Casemiro slams criticism of struggling Rasmus Hojlund as he backs young Man Utd forward to be a club legend at Old Trafford

Despite scoring five goals in the Champions League, Hojlund has faced criticism for netting on just one occasion in the Premier League following his £72 million ($90m) move from Atalanta in the summer. Casemiro, however, feels the 20-year-old should be cut some slack as the Brazil star backed him to develop into a hero at Old Trafford.

"At the end of the day, he's just a kid, so we shouldn't be putting a lot of pressure on him," he told the club's official website. "A lot of people think that he should be coming in and scoring 30-odd goals right away. He's still young and this is his first season in the Premier League. Regarding the footage you mentioned, I was really happy with his attitude. The thing is, it's really difficult when you come on in such a demanding game, as games against Arsenal are. When he entered the fray he contributed a lot, changing our dynamic, so I tried to express to him just how I was feeling," added the midfielder, who is working hard to get back into action after an injury lay-off. He's definitely playing better in every game and he's working really hard. Rasmus is a dedicated lad and he's keen to kick on. He'll be a great player for this club and, with the ambitions he has, he could define an era at Manchester United."

United have struggled for goals so far this season, having scored 22 times in 20 Premier League games - only two teams have netted fewer goals. Scott McTominay is the team's top scorer in the competition, despite playing as a holding midfielder, having struck five times in his 17 appearances.

Denmark international Hojlund was absent through illness as United were beaten 2-1 by Nottingham Forest in their previous game. Coach Erik ten Hag will hope to have the forward back in the squad when they come up against Wigan on Monday.