Manchester United have unveiled Rasmus Hojlund as their new striker signing. The 20-year-old joins from Serie A side Atalanta. The Red Devils have agreed a fee of £64 million with another £8 million as add-ons for the Danish forward. He has signed a five-year deal with the option of extending to a sixth.
Manchester United have been trying to find the ideal long-term striker for many years now. Since Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie, the 20-time English champions have had only a few players capable of single-handedly leading the front-line.
Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial struggled to perform, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani came in at the tail-end of their careers. By investing handsomely in Rasmus Hojlund, the Red Devils will hope that they have secured a reliable striker in the long run.
Player Career
Rasmus Hojlund made his professional debut with Copenhagen in 2020. In 32 games, he registered 5 goals for the Danish club (stats via Transfermarkt). In January 2022, the forward was signed by Austrian side Sturm Graz for a fee of £1.8 million. He spent the remainder of the 2021-22 season, and the beginning of the 2022-23 season with Graz. He played 21 games and registered 12 goals and 4 assists.
Atalanta snapped up the promising striker at the end of the transfer window for a fee of £18 million. The Dane initially began as the team’s second-choice striker behind Duvan Zapata. However, due to the latter’s poor form and injuries, Atalanta turned to the Danish striker to lead the frontline. He played 34 games in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and creating four more.
Welcome to Manchester United – Rasmus Hojlund 🔴✔️ 🇩🇰
Here we go! 📹 – Full video. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/HVHCdjw9LX
— The ElitePundit (@TheElitePundit) July 29, 2023
For the Denmark national team, Rasmus Hojlund has already racked up 6 goals from as many games. This includes a hat trick against Finland and a brace against Kazakhstan in the Euro qualifying rounds. (stats via Transfermarkt)
Role at Manchester United
Erik ten Hag largely used Marcus Rashford as the central striker in his 4-2-3-1 system last season. Wout Weghorst failed to leave an impression while Martial struggled for fitness. However, Rashford’s best position is playing down the left flank. United also had to compensate for Antony and Jadon Sancho’s poor form by using Bruno Fernandes in a wider role.
Signing Rasmus Hojlund automatically allows Manchester United to adopt a more traditional 4-2-3-1 shape. Rashford and Sancho can play off the Danish youngster, while Bruno Fernandes and the midfield also have a focal point to target their passes to.
The 20-year-old centre-forward is a smart finisher and has a knack for picking up dangerous positions in the box. He is also strong at holding off defenders and is constantly looking to make runs behind the backline.
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This makes the Danish striker the perfect piece for United’s system. The Red Devils will hope that Ten Hag can boost Hojlund’s abilities, and also improve his all-round game. This will give United a world-class striker for many years to come.
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