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Three goals in two games
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Rasmus Højlund is the latest in a long list of players to resurrect their careers after leaving Manchester United in recent years. Numerous promising talents have been unable to fulfil their potential at Old Trafford before shining upon their exits and there’s no more pertinent example than Scott McTominay.
The Scottish international was often underappreciated at United but he flourished after moving to Napoli last summer.
McTominay inspired I Ciucciarelli to the Scudetti to spark incredible scenes in Naples, winning the Serie A player of the season and finishing 18th in the Ballon d’Or rankings. Højlund followed in his former United teammate’s footsteps by joining Antonio Conte and he’s made an excellent start in his quest to revive his career.
Rasmus Højlund’s impressive start with Napoli
Højlund was determined to remain at United this season until Benjamin Sesko’s arrival effectively ended his prospects of playing regularly. Ruben Amorim made it clear that he would struggle for gametime and Højlund returned to Italy to join Napoli in an initial loan deal. Conte’s men have paid an initial €6 million loan fee with an obligation to buy for €44m. The obligation is contingent on Napoli qualifying for the Champions League next season but it’s incredibly unlikely they will miss out. The Denmark international has made an encouraging start to his Napoli career with four goals in six games.
Højlund is leading the line in the absence of the injured Romelu Lukaku and he scored third goal in two games with the winner for Napoli in a 2-1 triumph against Genoa on Sunday, to earn the praise of manager Conte. “He's a 22-year-old who was on the sidelines at Manchester United,” Conte said. “He has significant room for improvement, he needs to work because he has the potential to become a star, and he's proving it.”
Højlund looked deprived of confidence towards the end of his United career but he looks revitalised in Naples. The 22-year-old netted a brace in Napoli’s Champions League win over Sporting CP - both assisted by Kevin de Bruyne - and he appears free from the pressure of wearing the number nine shirt at United. Erik ten Hag spent €77.8m to sign Hojlund from Atalanta in 2023 and he was immediately tasked with carrying the expectation of leading the line for United but it was unfair to burden a youngster with that responsibility.
Højlund showed signs of promise in his debut season but struggled badly in his second, albeit in the worst United side in modern history. But the early signs are promising at Napoli, Højlund is scoring an average of 0.77 goals per 90 minutes, which is more than double the rate at which he scored for United (0.37). It remains a small sample size and Højlund needs to perform consistently but he unquestionably possesses huge talent and United could regret their decision to allow him to leave permanently.
