Ramsus Hojlund: Ex-Napoli player praises club for signing United star

Manchester United made the difficult decision of parting ways with Rasmus Hojlund this summer. The Danish striker had only moved to Old Trafford in 2023 from Atalanta.

Hojlund enjoyed a decent debut campaign, but lost his scoring boots last season. The 22 year old failed to impress under both former manager Erik ten Hag and his replacement, Ruben Amorim, finishing the campaign with 10 goals from 52 games.

The Red Devils wanted improvements in attack and invested heavily in Benjamin Sesko over the summer. Hojlund was deemed surplus to requirements and offloaded to Napoli on a temporary deal.

The Serie A champions were looking for a new striker to help deal with Romelu Lukaku’s injury. They reportedly paid a £5.2m loan fee, and have an obligation to make the move permanent for £38m next summer .

Hojlund already has experience of playing in Italy with Atalanta, and has hit the ground running on his return. The Dane scored 14 minutes into his first team debut for Napoli, helping them secure a 3-1 win over Fiorentina last weekend.

Antonio Conte, understandably, was ecstatic with his new signing’s performance .

United fans, though, could already be questioning the decision, especially since Benjamin Sesko is yet to get going. The Slovenian hasn’t found the back of the net from five appearances for the Red Devils so far, although only two of them were starts.

Former Napoli midfielder Ivano Trotta, meanwhile, believes that the Partenopei have managed a coup by securing Hojlund’s signature.

Speaking to 1 Station Radio, as cited by TuttoMercatoWeb , Trotta added that the Dane’s price tag is justified.

“Hojlund is an extraordinary player. He really impressed me against Fiorentina. He has incredible qualities. The €40-50m spent is justified because we are talking about a young talent with great potential,” said Trotta.

“In the end, things turned out well because Hojlund has shown himself to be a very strong footballer, and for the price Napoli paid, they got a bargain. In just 14 minutes, he scored a goal as a pure striker.

“It wasn’t easy to read that vertical pass from Spinazzola and avoid being caught offside. He has the traits of a top player. That goal was extremely difficult because the defender was closing in, and he used his body perfectly to hold his position, while keeping composure.

“However, what impressed me the most was his ability to help the team move up the pitch. When Napoli played quick, vertical passes, he shielded the ball, and the defender couldn’t get in front of him. That is decisive.

“He’s a strong player, with great potential and in my opinion, Napoli even underpaid for the great value he brings. Once again, they’ve made a great signing.”

Hojlund will have a point to prove after being brutally cast aside by United. Sesko, meanwhile, will be hoping he can finally score his first goal for the Red Devils when Chelsea come to visit Old Trafford this Saturday.

Featured image Gabriele Maltinti via Getty Images

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