Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag hopes that Rasmus Hojlund will be “really important” in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag is hopeful that Rasmus Hojlund will be “really important” for the Red Devils during Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Denmark international made his debut for the 20-time English champions off the bench in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal before the international break.
Hojlund is now expected to come in for a start against Brighton, and Ten Hag has said that the summer arrival from Atalanta BC is “so excited” to make his home debut for the club.
“I hope Rasmus is really important in this game, but he’s so excited. It’s his first time [playing at] Old Trafford. He’s really looking forward to it,” the manager told MUTV.
“He’s so excited, he wants to [feel] the reception, experience the reception from the fans, from Old Trafford, and that’s incredible, isn’t it?
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“And as he is a really big Manchester United fan as a young kid, so it is amazing for him to enter Old Trafford tomorrow with our home fans and I’m sure they will all be behind him and behind the team.
“He gives good spirit in the team. He gives energy and he’s so dedicated. Dedicated to play for this team and to play for this club, but also dedicated to scoring goals.”
The 20-year-old has been away with Denmark during the international break, featuring in both of his national side’s matches against San Marino and Finland.
Legendary ex-Man United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has also revealed that he is excited by the young forward’s “unfulfilled potential”.
“He’s a very, very nice boy. I’ve been asked about him a lot, and the phrase I always use is that he has a lot of unfulfilled potential,” Schmeichel told United Review.
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“There isn’t a weakness in his game. There isn’t a part of his game where he can’t be absolutely excellent. A lot of that has to come from how he handles himself, and I’m absolutely sure he’ll do that well, but it’s also about how he’s being coached.
“This guy is everything: he’s big, strong, quick, physical, technical, tactically adept. Everything you want in a footballer, everything you want in a striker. He’s got the nose, as well, of a no.9.
“The half an hour we saw against Arsenal is not a false positive, in my opinion. We saw who he is: he comes in, bullies defenders, wants the ball, isn’t afraid of getting involved, his running puts pressure on the opposition.
“He’s just got complete and utter unfulfilled potential and I’m very excited about him at United, because I don’t think we’ve ever had a player like him.”
Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford off the back of scoring 10 goals and registering four assists in 34 appearances for Atalanta during the 2022-23 campaign.
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