Manchester United’s mercurial centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund pledged to “show myself on the biggest stage” ahead of this month’s Europa League final.

The Denmark international scored the third goal in United’s 4-1 semi-final victory over Athletic Club at Old Trafford on Thursday night, setting up a final against fellow Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur on May 21 which offers hope of salvation for a season which has hit new lows domestically.

“I know what this football club is all about,” Hojlund said this week, as quoted by The Guardian. “It’s a lot of pressure, but that’s why I’m here. I want to show myself on the biggest stage.”

Hojlund’s strike against Athletic in midweek was his second in the space of three games, yet this campaign – and his entire United career – has been defined by long goalless droughts. The 22-year-old had to wait the best part of four months before nabbing a debut Premier League strike last term while there was a 21-game barren spell across all competitions in the middle of the current campaign.

“There’s been hard times,” Hojlund acknowledged. “When I go without a goal in a lot of games, I wouldn’t say I lose self-belief, but you’re going to be a bit more down and a bit more frustrated. But then it’s about going back to the basics – focus on what I can and try to improve myself, try to talk with my teammates [about] getting [into] better positions, these sort of things.

“But when you ride a rough spell, when you come out the other end – that absolutely makes you better.”

Ruben Amorim has questioned the value of winning the Europa League, but his No 9 only saw the positives. “It’s good – I’m very happy with being in the final,” Hojlund explained. “We play to win trophies and we are in a good position now to go and win a European trophy. It can give us something next year and the trophy is always very important, especially for such a big club.”