Rasmus Hojlund is close to severing links with Manchester United
Italian media and Antonio Conte have heaped praise on Rasmus Hojlund as the Manchester United striker edges closer to a permanent switch to Napoli. Antonio Conte's outfit are on the verge of clinching Champions League football, which would activate an obligation to purchase the on-loan Dane for £38million.
Napoli squandered the opportunity to guarantee a top-four finish on Monday as they fell 3-2 at home to Bologna. Trailing 2-0 at half-time, Napoli drew level early in the second period courtesy of strikes from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Alisson Santos. Hojlund played a part in both goals, including a direct assist for Santos's leveller.
Yet the comeback ultimately proved futile as Jonathan Rowe snatched victory for the visitors in the first minute of stoppage time. Despite this, the Italian press lauded Hojlund's performance. El Messaggero, which awarded him a 6.5 out of 10 rating, said: "He always plays with his back to the goal. The [first] goal comes from his pass in the penalty area. He also provides the equaliser with a high-quality assist."
Ilnapolista, who also gave him 6.5, wrote: "This time he wins the duel with his handler. He provided a perfect assist for Santos."
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Eurosport's Italian website highlighted his difficulties in the opening period, before, like most of his colleagues, improving his performance in the second. They said: "In the first half, he won few duels against the opposing central defenders.
"He only made extremely predictable plays. He didn't connect well with his teammates, but when he did, it was noticeable.
"He was involved in Di Lorenzo's goal. From that point on, he had a different game, the highlight of which was his assist for Alisson Santos' goal."
Conte picked out Hojlund for praise while emphasising his lack of striking options. The former Chelsea and Tottenham manager said: "Let's not forget that he's the only striker we have in the squad and he's the only one playing.
"He should have had the chance to rest and come on during the match. He has a lot of energy and is a player with excellent qualities, he's 23 years old and has significant room for improvement. You can't say anything [bad] about him, he plays for the team."
Those remarks indicate Conte would be content to retain Hojlund in Naples beyond the current campaign. Victory in either of their final fixtures - away to Pisa and at home to Udinese - will guarantee a top-four finish for Napoli.
They would also secure Champions League qualification if fifth-placed Roma fail to win both of their final two games. In Serie A, the head-to-head record determines the order of sides that end level on points.