‘I’m sorry’: Pundit thinks £72m Manchester United-bound star is nowhere near as good as Liverpool player

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Steve Nicol has admitted that he does not understand why Manchester United have spent £72 million on Rasmus Hojlund, claiming that he does not think that he is anywhere near the level of Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.

Nicol was speaking on ESPN after being asked why he was so critical of United’s move for the Dane given that he scored the same number of league goals last season as the Uruguayan.

Rasmus Hojlund is closing in on joining Manchester United this summer. As reported by the Daily Mail this week, he has undergone his medical and signed a contract ahead of a £72 million switch from Atalanta.

It is a big statement from Erik ten Hag’s side. And it appears that Nicol has not been impressed by the club’s decision to spend so much on the 20-year-old.

Nicol thinks Hojlund isn’t on Nunez’s level

That prompted one viewer to ask why the pundit had been so critical of Hojlund when Liverpool decided to spend £85 million on Darwin Nunez last summer.

Both players ended the campaign with nine league goals. Meanwhile, Hojlund also provided one more assist than the 24-year-old. And actually, Hojlund scored three league goals in Austria before his move to Serie A.

Nevertheless, Nicol doubled down on the criticism, claiming that Nunez is head and shoulders above of the Denmark international at this point.

“Nunez didn’t get the run of the games in the team that Hojlund got, for a start. I don’t think Hojlund is anywhere close to where Nunez is right now,” he told ESPN.

“Hojlund, for 75 million, I’m sorry, I don’t see where the 75 million comes from. I see the 80 million they spent on Nunez. I can see why they would do that. Just because strength, power, the way he runs in behind. Yes, the one piece of the puzzle that’s missing is that composure in front of goal. But talk about get in position to score, Hojlund doesn’t do that. He certainly hasn’t done it yet.”

It must be noted that there was not a great deal of difference in the amount of minutes both players got for their current sides in the league last season.

Hojlund is also several years younger. So it is a slightly unfair comparison.

It was always going to be a difficult campaign for Nunez. He was mercilessly compared with Erling Haaland due to the timing of their respective moves, the rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool, and the fact the Community Shield pitted the two clubs against each other.

He will want to simply focus on his own game this year. It is an important year for Nunez. And it would be no surprise if he does kick on during the coming campaign.

Hojlund will have to be prepared to put up with the intense scrutiny he is set to receive. But Manchester United are clearly optimistic that he has a very bright future ahead of him.