Michael Owen has played down the £72million fee which Manchester United had to pay for Rasmus Hojlund after his seventh Premier League game without a goal.
Hojlund's biggest contribution in the Manchester derby on Sunday was giving away a first-half penalty which Erling Haaland confidently dispatched. That set Manchester City on their way to a comprehensive 3-0 victory and highlighted the stark difference between the two strikers.
Ballon d'Or nominee Haaland already has 11 goals in 10 Premier League appearances this season, while Hojlund is yet to get off the mark in English football. The 20-year-old's only goals have come in the Champions League, ultimately going down as consolations in defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
But ex-United striker Owen feels that Hojlund is being unfairly criticised due to his lofty price tag, telling AceOdds.com: "Manchester United have obviously done their homework. He does appear to be somebody that could be a fantastic player in the future.
"But you normally associate spending that kind of money on somebody that's going to guarantee you 30 goals every season. Yes, they've got to pay through the nose for a kid, but they haven't paid hundreds of millions. So it's only what happens in business all the time. If somebody's young and looks like they could be good, there's a premium to pay."
Hojlund wasn't even supposed to be United's first-choice striker this term, as boss Erik ten Hag pushed for a master-apprentice setup which would've seen the young Dane learn from England captain Harry Kane. When the Old Trafford hierarchy opted not to pursue a deal for Kane and he joined Bayern Munich, United left themselves unable to sign a world-class star to lead their line and had to stump up £72m to prise Hojlund away from Italian side Atalanta, for whom he'd only scored nine goals for in 32 Serie A appearances.
Despite not scoring in the Premier League, Hojlund has made a positive impression since arriving in Manchester - so much that disgruntled United fans booed Ten Hag's decision to take him off at 2-0 down on Sunday. He'll be hoping to score his first goal in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, as the Red Devils host Newcastle in the fourth round.