Manchester United's latest signing Rasmus Hojlund is set to miss the opening weeks of the Premier League season through injury, but a return date has been targeted by the club.
The 20-year-old Denmark international, who has joined the ranks at Old Trafford following a £72 million move from Atalanta, was presented as a United player ahead of their pre-season clash against Lens on Saturday.
He took his first steps on the Old Trafford pitch as thousands of fans welcomed him to the Theatre of Dreams, but the highly-rated forward will have to be patient when it comes to making his much-anticipated debut.
Hojlund is believed to have sustained a minor back injury during pre-season training with Atalanta, and is therefore not ready to play.
He was, however, spotted working with a member of staff at Carrington on Wednesday morning as he continues his rehab.So when will he make his debut? It appears Manchester United are targeting their away clash against Arsenal on September 3 as the perfect stage for Hojlund to make his Premier League bow.
That's according to The Athletic, who say staff hope he will be fit for the visit to the Emirates in less than a month.
On Saturday afternoon, boyhood United fan Hojlund watched from the stands as goals from Marcus Rashford, Antony and Casemiro sealed a relatively-straightforward 3-1 win.
After the full-time whistle, a delighted Ten Hag opened up about a number of subjects, including the arrival of Hojlund.
Speaking to MUTV, the Dutch manager said: "He is really a front man, very direct to the goal. A very good presser, a physical presence and I think in the balance of this squad we needed that.
"Alongside Rashford, [he is] another player who is direct and can score goals and that is all in his mind – he wants to score goals."Ten Hag went on to hail Hojlund's "huge potential" but asked the former Copenhagen forward to prove his worth.
"I think he has such a huge potential and now it is up first to him to explore that and we will support him – all the coaches," he added.
"I’m sure the whole team was waiting for a type like him and they will integrate and in the dressing room or on the pitch they will help him.
"But as I said, finally the player – he has to prove it."
Then, after explaining how Hojlung can get the best out of himself with a strong desire to succeed, Ten Hag added: "That is the characters we need: we need hungry players.
"He is a player who is so determined to score goals and win games and win trophies."
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