Even though Manchester United are still playing the FA Cup final at the weekend, the fact that they finished 8th in the Premier League makes it clear this wasn’t a dream season.
Rasmus Hojlund, however, claims to be quite happy with his first year at Old Trafford. The striker, who moved to Old Trafford on a €74m move last summer, was now interviewed by Danish outlet Tipsbladet, and had a lot to say about his adaptation to his new club.
The 21-year-old claimed that even though Manchester United didn’t have a great season, he’s happy to finally be playing in the Premier League and at such a big club.
That came with some negative factors, though, which is the huge attention you receive, something he claims he’s now getting used to.
“You feel crazy pressure when you are at Manchester United. There are eyes on you all the time on and off the pitch because the club is so huge. It takes some time to get used to, but I feel I have found a rhythm,” Hojlund told Tipsbladet.
Hojlund claims he got surprised by the way paparazzi started following him around the city, and that’s also something he’s starting to understand now.
“I remember one of the first days when I was walking around the city with my girlfriend and there were paparazzi photographers on the street. I thought ‘wow, does anyone really want to see pictures of me when I’m just out for a walk?’. Apparently you can make a lot of shows and both good and bad stories out of that.”
“I’ve always wanted to get to this point, and it’s not because it’s not cool, but there’s definitely a downside. You don’t have the same freedom in your vocabulary and generally in everyday life. You can’t always say what’s on your mind because it can be taken out of context.”
“That’s the part I miss – being able to be left alone and behaving like an idiot if that’s what I wanted. I miss being able to mind my own business without wondering if anyone is listening and keeping an eye on the fact that Rasmus Højlund is out there somewhere.”
Regarding recent stories which claimed that his Manchester United teammates wouldn’t like to pass him the ball, Hojlund made it clear that’s a lie.
“You have to sort through the stories, because 90-95 per cent are nonsense. I had to learn to sort through that, because there’s not much I can do other than put it on ice.”
“I don’t understand such an article. I feel like I get the ball if I’m in the right positions. I would have liked to get the ball more sometimes, but it’s just not always possible. It’s another example of something I have to shut out because it’s just a lot of noise.”
