“It would have been a different story”: Rasmus Hojlund on the match that sealed his Man United fate

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Ahead of summer 2023, Rasmus Hojlund was regarded as one of the most exciting striking talents in Europe.

His rapid rise at Atalanta and with Denmark turned heads, and the Red Devils willingly agreed to a £72 million deal to bring him to Old Trafford.

Hojlund was considered a rough diamond when United signed him, with the belief that they would polish him into the deadly striker he had shown he could be.

However, a lack of proper pre-season football ahead of his maiden campaign at M16, coupled with a back injury that initially sidelined him, meant he struggled for form in front of goal.

While he made a massive impact in the Champions League with five goals in six games, he struggled in the league and only found decent scoring form in the second half of the 2023–24 season.

He ended up with 10 league goals, setting himself up for a better 2024–25 campaign. However, that did not happen.

Poor 2024–25 campaign

In the 2024–25 season, the Dane massively struggled in front of goal, managing just four goals in 32 league games.

By the end of that season, question marks hung over his future. United initially did not push him out, but when the chance to land Benjamin Sesko presented itself, the Red Devils did not think twice and signed the Slovenian hitman.

His arrival left the 20-time English champions with no option but to offload Hojlund.

Hojlund subsequently joined Napoli on loan, where he enjoyed a decent campaign, one strong enough to convince the Serie A club to sign him permanently.

Now, a season after leaving for Naples, the striker has opened up on his United exit.

Hojlund on his time at Manchester United and the sad end

He opened up to Gazzetta dello Sport, confessing, “I don’t think anything specific went wrong. I arrived at a club with a manager. It was a difficult year, with a lot of injuries, but we won the FA Cup, and I was the top scorer.

“Then we went through a difficult period and Amorim arrived, an excellent coach but with a different style of play. The team had to adapt, and it was complicated. We all suffered.”

Interestingly, he pinpoints the Europa League final loss to Tottenham Hotspur as the game that sealed his fate, saying:

“My first year was a success, the second was not. But I played in the Europa League final. If we had won, it would have been a different story. That’s football. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes badly, but I’m very happy to have played for the club I dreamed of as a child.”

It speaks volumes that Hojlund still holds United in high regard, rather than resorting to the blame game some players do.

Should he rediscover his goalscoring touch and finally tap into his potential, he could yet find himself back on the Red Devils’ radar sooner or later.