Following the arrival of £74 million man Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, Hojlund found himself out in the cold. Man United told him to find a new club, and, according to The Athletic, the 22-year-old was ‘heartbroken’.
The Denmark international is a boyhood Man United fan, idolising Cristiano Ronaldo has he grew up in Copenhagen. His dream move to Old Trafford turned sour after a string of disappointing performances in that famous red shirt, ending his time with 26 goals in 95 appearances across all competitions.
Despite his poor form, Hojlund had plenty of options, most notably back in Italy, the country he left to join Man United back in 2023. AC Milan were in for him, but then Antonio Conte’s Napoli picked up the phone.
Hojlund joins the Serie A holders on an initial loan with a conditional obligation to buy for a fee of around £38 million and it may just be the perfect move for him.
Misused at Man United
Standing at 6’3”, Hojlund was often characterised as a target man during his time at United, with fans often bemoaning about his lack of service. While Hojlund has to share some of the blame for his poor form, an xG of just 5.24 in the Premier League last season would suggest they were correct.
In January, Ruben Amorim admitted that Hojlund's problems in front of goal are not exclusively a Hojlund problem, saying: "I think it's more a team problem than a Rasmus problem."
"You can see it, it's not just from now, it's from the past. So we have clearly a lack of goals and a lack of threat. All the players have moments in this season. I think when we started this journey together, Rasmus was the player that was always scoring."
Looking inwards, 82 touches in the opposition box across his 32 league games would indicate he simply couldn’t get into the right position a lot of the time, but he was also tasked with holding up the ball and bringing teammates into play, which isn’t exactly the best aspect of his game.
Hojlund is great at targeting the space between the centre back and the right back and is a LOT faster than many would assume. Playing him in a more advanced role gives him the opportunity to drive at defenders and use his physicality that way rather than in a more stationary sense.
He’s also a decent finisher; he just doesn’t shoot enough. Last season he had just 32 shots, with 13 of them being on target. This could be down to two things, he’s not being used properly, or his confidence is so far gone he can’t bring himself to pull the trigger. It’s likely a combination of the two.
Where does he fit in at Napoli?
Napoli’s move to sign Hojlund was brought on by Romelu Lukaku’s injury. The big Belgian is expected to be out for three to four months after picking up a thigh issue in their pre-season friendly with Greek side Olympiacos in August.
Conte plays in a much more direct way than Erik ten Hag and Amorim, and that should suit Hojlund. The Italian manager wants his midfielder to play quick through balls between the lines, and, as we mentioned, Hojlund is at his best when he’s able to use his pace and run into those channels.
His new manager also has something Amorim doesn’t, formational flexibility. Conte often deployed a front two last season, although this season he is yet to do so. Fellow new signing Lorenzo Lucca, who IS a target man, could be the exact type of partner he needs.
Hojlund learned his trade at Austrian side Sturm Graz where they typically play a 4-1-2-1-2 system, while Gasperini also played him alongside Ademola Lookman at times during his time at Atalanta, so he’s familiar with the role.
Perhaps more importantly, there is less pressure. That’s not to say Napoli isn’t intense, but not having Gary Neville, Jamie Carrgher, and 300 separate fan podcasts analysing his every move will do wonders for his mental state.
He’ll also have Kevin de Bruyne behind him so there shouldn’t be any issue with service.
Verdict
Many forget how young he still is. Hojlund still has the raw potential to become a top striker, Man United just wasn’t the right fit for him tactically or environmentally, and it remains to be seen in Sesko, who has a similar profile, will be able to do any better.
At Napoli, he has a manager who is more willing to adapt to his style of play and an environment that will see him face less scrutiny. If Scott McTominay’s story is anything to go by, this will be another success story.