Mikael Silvestre on Rasmus Højlund: He Has A Presence

Things are not looking too rosy for Manchester United as they slumped to a second successive loss in the Champions League last night. The Red Devils lost 2-3 to Galatasaray at Old Trafford – long considered a fortress, but not anymore.

It was the Turkish club’s first Champions League win in five years. Not only that, but this was Galatasaray’s first Champions League away victory in 17 fixtures. Despite a missed Mauro Icardi penalty, the visitors managed to put three (2.56xG) goals past a helpless-looking Andre Onana

In this article:

• A Night To forget in Manchester: Match Facts and Stats
• Mikael Silvestre’s Quotes on Rasmus Højlund
• Safer Gambling

---

A Night to forget in Manchester: Match Facts and Stats

• Former Barcelona academy striker Mauro Icardi, who scored the winner for Galatasaray last night, did so up against goalkeeper Andre Onana, who also learned his craft at La Masia.
• Manchester United had never conceded three goals in successive Champions League games until last night.
• The Argentinian goal-getter, Icardi, now has 45 goal involvements in the 39 games he has pulled on the Galatasaray strip. On fire.
• Erik ten Hag’s side recorded an unwanted record following the final whistle: it was the first time Manchester United had ever lost their opening two Champions League group stage fixtures.
• Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk beat Manchester United for the second time in the Champions League. His Başakşehir side in 2020 also beat the Red Devils, to the tune of 2-1. Demba Ba notched the opener on that occasion.

While Erik ten Hag’s side looks to be in a crisis, a player who has stepped up is Rasmus Højlund. The Danish striker has found the net three times in the Champions League, scoring twice last night and once against Bayern Munich.

Højlund has gotten the seal of approval from a former Manchester United player in the form of Mikael Silvestre who talked about his performances in a chat with us.

Højlund Has A Presence

The 2007-08 Champions League winner with Man Utd has been impressed by what he’s seen from the young Dane so far.

Silvestre pointed to Højlund’s energy, his link up play and the presence that he has on the pitch as stand out characteristics.

“I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Højlund so far. Full of energy, pressing, good in transition, and he has a presence.”

“He’s trying to find his partners, link up play, to understand the movement of everybody around him and ask to be available to his teammates. Good start for him.”

The Frenchman also praised Højlund’s finish against Bayern Munich which, in his opinion, was a classic striker’s finish.

“He scored a very No. 9 goal against Bayern Munich. Not much time to control the ball but he was there, combining with Rashford. It was encouraging.”

---

SAFER GAMBLING

At bettingexpert, we always take a safe approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Safer Gambling hub.