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Four goals in 33 league games last season was a desperately underwhelming return for Rasmus Hojlund.
Those are hardly numbers befitting a Manchester United striker.
For both United and the player, change was needed, and fortunately for Hojlund (and even the Red Devils), it arrived.
Keen to find cover for their injured frontman, Napoli convinced United to sanction a season-long loan.
Italy delight
Determined to bounce back, eager to rewrite his story and prove he was not the problem, Hojlund has taken Italian football by storm, breathing new life into his career.
In six games for the Serie A outfit, the Dane has netted four goals. That tally alone may not be eye-catching, but what stands out is his overall form: eight goals in nine appearances for club and country this season.
If there is a man on a resurgence, it is Hojlund.
Napoli must feel like transfer geniuses; their bold gamble is already paying off.
Hojlund: one for the present and the future
The ex-Atalanta man is emerging as everything the Italian champions hoped he would be. Lukaku’s absence has not been felt in the slightest.
Alfredo Pedulla, via Football Italia, paints a clear picture of how the United striker is regarded at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
“With hindsight, and even without it, Napoli are very happy—extremely happy—with the deal to sign Rasmus Hojlund,” he revealed.
Pedulla goes on to stress just how impressed Napoli have been with Hojlund’s impact in Naples:
“Even if there were no such clause (obligation to buy), Napoli would go ahead regardless, fully aware they’ve secured the centre-forward of both the present and the future.”
While Hojlund’s market value should be soaring, Napoli are fortunate to have agreed to land him on a permanent at a bargain.
During negotiations for his transfer, United inserted a £38 million obligation to buy, triggered if the Gli Azzurri qualify for Champions League football.
Transfer almost guaranteed
With Napoli’s blistering start to the new season, sitting top of the league and with a successful Scudetto defence likely, it is almost certain the clause will be triggered.
Still being showered with praise, the biggest compliment to Hojlund should be that he has guaranteed United a £38 million transfer windfall in just six games.
As Hojlund thrives in Italy, United will be hoping Benjamin Sesko continues to impress.
With two goals in two, the summer recruit looks to be finding his feet at Old Trafford. If he can sustain a long scoring run, United may yet not regret Hojlund’s departure.
Featured image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images
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