December 30, (THEWILL) – Manchester United’s Danish striker, Rasmus Hojlund, has been ruled out of the English Premier League clash away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening due to illness. The 20-year-old, who scored his first domestic goal for the Red Devils in the thrilling 3-2 comeback victory against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, will now miss the chance to build on that momentum.
A club statement confirmed this: “Rasmus Hojlund, who scored his first Premier League goal against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, is unfortunately unavailable for this evening’s game at Nottingham Forest due to illness.” Manager Erik Ten Hag will doubtless be frustrated to lose the talented frontman for such a crucial fixture as United aim to climb back into the European qualification spots.
Hojlund is not the only attacking absentee, with French striker, Anthony Martial, also missing recently due to sickness. Other key players like Casemiro, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez are also unavailable to face Forest. However, there is some positive news in the form of winger Amad Diallo’s return to first-team contention after a lengthy knee injury.
A victory at the City Ground would lift United back up to sixth position ahead of rivals West Ham before they clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday.
A poor result could see the Red Devils slip to as low as ninth – an unacceptable position for a club of such pedigree. Hojlund’s absence robs United of pace and dynamism up front, meaning others will have to step up and find a clinical edge if they are to take all three points.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
