Rasmus Hojlund .. Why did the "Danish Haaland" become Manchester United's first goal?

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Atalanta player Rasmus Hojlund, strongly linked with Manchester United, but how good is he?

Manchester United are desperate for a new striker. Cristiano Ronaldo's departure last November left a huge gap in the team, and the difference of Burnley loanee Fekhurst was not the right man for Ten Hag.

United appear to have come close to signing him permanently, with only two goals in 31 games since arriving at Old Trafford in January.

While Marcus Rashford appeared at an outstanding level, after scoring 30 goals in a season for the first time, Manchester United have to move towards a fast striker.

Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen and Randall Kolo Mwani, goals for Ten Hag.

Next to Rasmus Hojlund, the Danish striker, is an Atalanta player, worth up to 40 million pounds.

In Serie A 2022-2023 Hoilund has enjoyed a special season , but is he ready to lead the offensive line at one of the biggest clubs in football?

Its starting point

The talented striker made an instant impression, in FC Copenhagen's Under-19 team, scoring 15 goals in his first 22 appearances.

The start of his official participation came in October 2020, in a match against Aarhus in the Danish League, he scored five goals in 32 games.

Hujlund moved to Graz for Euro1.9 million and featured a significant performance in his new team.

His trainer said: "Hojlund was always a confident boy, even looking arrogant if you didn't know him. has over-average versatility, speed and intelligence ".

Grats finished second in the Austrian Premier League behind Red Bull Salzburg with Hojlund's help.

Hojlund scored five goals in his first five appearances in the Austrian Premier League, leading to his name being linked with the Premier League giants, Newcastle, as well as Club Brugge. However, Atalanta were the team to win the signing race, with Graz accepting the Italian club's offer, worth 17 million euros at the end of August.

Critical Opportunity

Shortly after arriving in Atalanta, Hojlund was called up for the first time to Denmark, earning his debut as a substitute in a stunning 2-0 win over France in the UEFA Nations League.

The Danish international scored in his first four games, in the Serie A in 2023.

Atalanta was a humble team, when they faced Lazio at Olympico on 11 February, having lost the previous match in the tournament. But Hojlund showed superiority over the home defence from the first minute, and almost scored two great solo goals in the first 48 minutes, but narrowly failed to finish the two attacks successfully, but eventually scored.

Gasperini said of him: "Hojlund has the soul and energy, and also incredible artistic quality. He still has a lot of privilege to improve as well. It's so fast, I'm sure it will achieve a great future, it gets stronger every day. "

How is it going?

Hojlund returned to the Danish national team in March, securing his first chance as a starter, in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier against Finland. The 20-year-old scored a great hat trick.

But he was excluded from the World Cup list.

But that did not stop his resolve, and during this international break he trained well, which made Atalanta's coach say that he
was perfect and did not stop progressing.

His strengths

Atalanta's Martin de Ron said: "I didn't expect him to be that strong. When he joined, his skills were noticeable, but he probably had the first touch of the ball, and fitness needed some improvement. It is very fast and has the ability to last 90 minutes now. "

Team leader Rafael Toloy said: "Hojlund is a great talent, physically strong and very fast. He has everything he needs to be great, and he works with the right coach and his right team. "

With players such as Bruno Fernandes, Rashford and Casemiro assisting, Hoylund will have every chance to start strong at Old Trafford.

Space for Development

Hojlund's rise was remarkably noticeable, but it is easy to forget, that he was in adolescence at the beginning of the year. He has all the qualities to be an outstanding player, but he is not at the ideal level for a young player.

The Danish striker is reluctant to prolong his possession of the ball at times, giving the opponent an opportunity to deal with it and remove any danger. He also made mistakes, while carrying the ball during his time at Atalanta.

If Manchester United can annex him, Ten Hag will need some patience, in order for the player to appear at full strength.

Next Erling Haaland?

Hujlund's muscular strength, and his harsh style of play, is sometimes compared to Halland.

"In some qualities, they are similar. Both are very fast, and they also share the resolve, the desire to always score. "

Both are similar in gameplay to the final third of the pitch, but Hojlund trails Haaland in terms of shot volume, partly explaining why the Norwegian's highly superior scoring. However, he has the ability to score a lot of goals.

To be called the "next Haaland" does nothing to benefit him, but he also has the potential to make a lasting impression in the Premier League, if used properly. The only question is, whether it is ready to perform, at the highest level continuously.

What else?
If Hojlund leaves Atalanta this summer, it looks like Old Trafford will be his next destination. He has drawn the attention of other clubs such as Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but Manchester United are likely to be in the lead for his signature.

Hojlund said in January: "I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm a big fan of Manchester United. Personally, it will be one of the biggest things for me, but of course that does not mean that I will reject the offers of other big clubs, if available at some point. "

He added: "Manchester United is a big club, so I have to have something real, if there are rumours that they want me."

His value of up to £40 million will give Manchester United a boost, getting their signature, as Ten Hag needs to strengthen other positions.

After watching Haaland take Manchester City to higher levels, Manchester United need something similar. Hojlund may not be as efficient as Haaland of Norway, but it may be exactly what Ten Hag needs, to boost his Old Trafford revolution and push the team forward.