Rasmus Hojlund was withdrawn in the second half (Picture: Getty)
Rasmus Hojlund cut a perplexed figure when Kobbie Mainoo was substituted by Erik Ten Hag in Manchester United’s draw against Burnley.
Along with Kobbie Mainoo, Hojlund was withdrawn when the game was still goalless in the 65th minute, with Amad Diallo and Scott McTominay coming on in their place.
The move was met with groans from the Old Trafford crowd, with the Danish striker captured on video looking equally surprised with the decision as he made his way around the pitch to the bench.
Hojlund had struggled to impact the game whilst on the pitch and Ten Hag’s decision looked to have paid off when Antony fired United ahead in the 79th minute.
However, Burnley went on to snatch a late equalise through Zeki Amdouni’s penalty, with the point leaving United in sixth and just one point above Newcastle.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, hit back at criticism of his changes and said he was protecting Mainoo and Hojlund after a gruelling few weeks.
‘No offence but I have to manage the team. Winning games comes first of all and you see what the game needs, and I think we needed by that time some freshness first of all,’ he said.
‘In the midfield, you could see it was a very high-intensity game, it went up and down and you see also some fatigue in Rasmus, who is a very young player, and Kobbie Mainoo, who is a very young player.
‘And, yeah, they were subbed and it was the right decision. You see after it we took some benefit from it, by bringing the fresh legs with Scott in the position.
‘And then we don’t even talk about the injury risk. Rasmus Hojlund had more injuries already in the course of this season, and Kobbie Mainoo also had two bad injuries.
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‘So I don’t want them to get injured, so I protected them as well. So there are more reasons to make the subs.
‘I understand that fans want to see [those players]. They see also the skills those players bring and contribute to the team, I understand that. But I have to do my job and that is the right decision.’
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