Rasmus Hojlund’s success at Manchester United hinges on his ability to establish a strong on-field connection with Bruno Fernandes, and manager Erik ten Hag knows just how to make that happen.

After joining the club in a £72 million transfer from Atalanta almost a month ago, Hojlund finally made his debut off the bench in United’s recent 3-1 loss to Arsenal. Despite being on the losing side, the 20-year-old showcased his potential, giving fans reasons to be excited.

As a striker, Hojlund’s success will primarily be measured by his goal-scoring prowess. To consistently find the back of the net for Erik ten Hag’s side, establishing a connection with Fernandes is paramount. The Portuguese midfielder is United’s chief creator and was instrumental in supplying last season’s top scorer, Marcus Rashford, with scoring opportunities.

Rashford’s impressive goal tally largely resulted from his synergy with Fernandes, and the United captain aims to replicate that telepathic understanding with his new teammate, Hojlund. “I definitely want to build that rapport with him, just as I have with our other strikers and wingers,” Fernandes stated in a recent club media interview. “My role here is to assist them and ensure they feel confident about getting their chances.”

“Yes,” responded the Reds’ boss when questioned about developing the partnership during a BT Sport interview. “You need to identify where the connections are and work on improving them. It’s not about obsessing over it daily but rather about integrating them into drills and showing them video clips on how they can benefit from each other.”

Ten Hag recruited Hojlund with the goal of boosting his team’s goal tally, a pressing need for United. To see the Danish striker come close to matching Rashford’s impressive 30-goal tally from last season would be a significant achievement. To achieve this, fostering a strong relationship with Fernandes will be pivotal, and fortunately, Ten Hag already possesses the blueprint for success.