Manchester United ace Rasmus Hojlund has been handed the ultimate backhanded compliment
For a side that is already experiencing an injury crisis, the last thing Manchester United wanted to see was their star striker also picking up a knock on international duty this week. Thankfully, Rasmus Hojlund looks to have come through the break unscathed, but the rough treatment he received against San Marino on Tuesday night was certainly plenty of cause for concern.
The 20-year-old took to social media after the match to criticise the physical behaviour of San Marino players, even accusing them of 'trying to injure' him during the match.
Danish defender Simon Kjaer shared similar sentiments when he criticised match officials for their involvement in the encounter and said they should have done more to shield his team from their opponents' aggressive tactics.
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This accusation was denied by San Marino players, particularly defender Roberto Di Maio, who was shown a yellow card when he mistimed a challenge for the ball and ended up kneeing Hojlund in the back.
"I would have liked to see you 15 years ago when only real men played football! You were a disappointment, Hojlund. Good luck," he wrote on social media as the saga took another turn.
It remains to be seen what will happen next, but one thing is for sure: Hojlund will have to get used to the physical treatment directed at him and view it as a backhanded compliment to how threatening he is. While it is certainly not nice to see such an aggressive defence focused on any opponent, the reason San Marino resorted to it was because they simply couldn't deal with his unique threat otherwise.
There is also an irony in Di