'I've got faith in him' - Wayne Rooney jumps to defence of Rasmus Hojlund despite 20-game goal drought as Man Utd legend sends striking advice to struggling Red Devils frontman

Hojlund's nightmare season at Old Trafford continued as he appeared as a substitute in the 76th minute during United's 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. After drawing a blank yet again, the Danish forward has now extended his goal drought to an unbelievable 20 matches across all competitions. The 22-year-old has scored just seven goals for the Red Devils in the 2024-25 campaign.

Amid the striker's poor form, United legend Rooney came to his defence as he hailed Hojlund as a good and a hard working player. The former England captain also shared some valuable advice for the ex-Atalanta star which could help him to regain his long-lost form.

Speaking on BBC Sport, the 39-year-old said: "You know, a striker for Manchester United, when you're not scoring goals, there's a lot of pressure, a lot of people talking about you. Can you do it for Manchester United? I think the best thing to do is simplify it and obviously making the runs into penalty boxes is as easy as it comes, you have to make them runs.

"But simplifying the game, getting the ball, laying it off, getting in the box, getting the ball out wide, getting in the penalty box, putting yourself in the best position to score goals. Nine times out of 10 you're relying on your team-mates to give you chances and put the ball in the box or slide balls in behind."

He added: "Maybe he hasn't been doing that, he hasn't been getting that service of late. But I've got faith in him. I think he is a good player and he works hard. I think that's really important as well. I think he just needs that goal and once he gets it, they'll all start coming."

Ruben Amorim's side will be back in action later this week as they take on Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie on Thursday.