"Involved in 90% of what was good about the Manchester United side" - Peter Schmeichel makes claim about new signing after loss to Palace

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel reckons Rasmus Hojlund was one of the few bright sparks in United's 1-0 Premier League home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday (September 30).

Hojlund, 20, arrived at Old Trafford from Serie A side Atalanta this summer in a deal worth €75 million. The big Dane has scored just once in six appearances across competitions, including none in four Premier League outings.

However, Schmeichel said (as per centredevils) that United are only beginning to get used to a bonafide No. 9, which they have not had for a while. Following the Red Devils' loss to Palace, the legendary goalkeeper said that his younger compatriot is bereft of adequate service at the moment:

"I would say he was involved in 90% of what was good about the #mufc side. The problem is that the team hasn't had a real number 9 for a very long time, so It will take time for them to get used to it. He makes the right moves. He remains patient, but he is not served properly."

Hojlund had a decent outing in the Palace defeat without scoring. In 90 minutes, he had two shots on target, dribbled thrice, had 25 touches of the ball, made 13/15 accurate passes and one key pass and won three of seven ground duels.

However, the Dane missed two big chances, lost possession five times and was called offside once.

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"Old Trafford needs to be a fortress" - Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag

Manchester United have made an underwhelming start to the season, losing four of their nine games across three different competitions. That includes league defeats in successive home outings, a first in two years.

The defeat to Palace means United are down to tenth place in the league standings. With nine points from seven games, this is the Red Devils' worst start to a Premier League season.

Ahead of his side's upcoming game against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (October 3) at Old Trafford, Ten Hag urged his side to turn their home ground into a fortress.

"Old Trafford needs to be a fortress, and (we need to show) that you can't get anything here," he said as per United's website.

"The only way other teams do that is if we lose. We have to do better here. The demand is that we get a row of wins to get into a rhythm. We have to do better than we are doing right now," he added.

Having lost their Champions League opener at Bayern Munich, Manchester United can ill-afford another loss, especially at home.