It’s a status that was forced upon Rasmus Hojlund almost by default at Manchester United, but he has earned that status now at Napoli due to their latest trouble.
Rasmus Hojlund was always expected to do better at Napoli than he did at Manchester United.
Part of that was because the bar was so low, but it was also clear that he was a shell of his former self at Old Trafford, with a change of environment doing him good.
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Hojlund had a dream start at Napoli and continued it thereafter, with the odd poor game, but the latest trouble at Napoli cements his untouchable status.
Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Napoli miss Rasmus Hojlund dearly
Hojlund was coming off a blazing international break where he scored in both games for Denmark to continue his unstoppable streak this season.
However, playing so much football resulted in Antonio Conte taking a bold call for Napoli’s visit to Torino as they kicked off their league season.
Hojlund was dropped from the squad, with Lorenzo Lucca taking his place, a striker signed this summer along with the Dane.
What happened after was a 90-minute-long example of why this Napoli side is already extremely reliant on the Man Utd loanee.
Lucca struggled badly, completing just two passes during his 74 minutes on the field, touching the ball just 18 times.
As per Fotmob, he finished as the lowest-rated player on the pitch for Napoli among the starters, with his defensive contribution lacking as well.
It’s fair to say that Conte will restore Hojlund back into the side as soon as possible, which will be in the Champions League against PSV.
Hojlund loves scoring in Europe, so it’s the perfect game for him too.
Man Utd can safely account for £38m next season
Man Utd sanctioned a loan deal for Hojlund with an option to buy, which turns into an obligation if Napoli qualify for the Champions League.
That was always more likely than not, but now that Hojlund is also proving himself on the pitch and making himself undroppable, United know what will happen.
They can safely account for a windfall worth £38m coming into their account next summer, because Napoli will trigger that option to buy.
On one hand, United can look at Hojlund wistfully, wondering what could have been. On the other hand, the total amount they’ll receive for him, including the loan fees, makes it as good a scenario as they could have hoped for.
For Hojlund, it’s poetic that after being dragged at Old Trafford and playing regularly despite being out of his depth, his undroppable status at Napoli is cemented due to a game he missed.
