Rasmus Hojlund slams critics of Bruno Fernandes with defence for Manchester United captain

Man United's players have been heavily scrutinised this season amid a poor run of form that has seen the team regress.

Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund believes criticism of Bruno Fernandes has been unfair this season and he also described the midfielder as 'an amazing captain'.

Hojlund was signed from Atalanta in a deal worth £72million last summer and United stumped up that fee because they identified potential for him to become world-class.

However, it took Hojlund until December to score his first goal in the Premier League and more was expected from him in the first half of the season. He enjoyed a purple patch at the beginning of 2024 and many feel he needs to be given better service to sustain such performances.

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Last month, a report claiming Hojlund had grown frustrated with Fernandes and Diogo Dalot over the lack of service emerged - a disagreement that was said to be settled quickly - and he's now publicly defended his captain from any criticism aimed his way this season.

"He's [Fernandes] also getting a lot of criticism and it's not fair because he's doing everything at the top level all the time and he's an amazing captain," Hojlund told BBC Sport.

The quotes came from a reflective interview in which he looked back on his time at Old Trafford so far. "I had a long period where I had to wait because the clubs needed to agree a fee and I couldn't get carried away," Hojlund said about his transfer from Atalanta.

"That was hard when you're supporting a club and they want you to be their striker. Christian Eriksen was a little bit of an agent more or less, so he did a little bit of work in the background.

"But I haven't given him an agent fee, he doesn't need more money! I was just happy I could start playing for my favourite team because dreams don't get much bigger than that."

The photo of Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo sitting together as they celebrate was also a talking point. "My bros sitting there, myself, Alejandro and Kobbie," he said.

"I think all three of us, if you start at the start of the season we'd all have that amount of minutes, you'd probably be joking. We believe in our own qualities and know what we can bring to the team, but on the other hand, we know we need to develop, keep going and I''m sure I'll score many more goals."

Hojlund has 14 goals in all competitions this season and scored five in the Champions League group stage.