Rasmus Hojlund has shown the kind of mentality and resilience to become a real Premier League star during his first season at Manchester United.
A huge summer signing from Atalanta, Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford with huge expectations placed on his shoulder.
It’s easy to forget that Rasmus Hojlund was just one year removed from playing for Austrian side Sturm Graz when he joined United.
The Dane was experienced a huge step-up in class and questions marks arose as he struggled to find his first Premier League goal.
Whilst the Champions League goals were flowing, Hojlund had to wait until Boxing Day to finally find the net in a Premier League clash, helping United come from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa.
That sparked Hojlund into life and he has smashed seven goals in his last eight United games across all competitions.
Hojlund has proven that he can deal with frustration but Saturday’s outing for Denmark may well have tested that mental strength.
Danish media on Rasmus Hojlund
Hojlund started up front for Denmark on Saturday night as he was chosen to lead the line in a friendly against Switzerland.
This was a fairly drab affair, ending in a 0-0 draw with neither side able to find a breakthrough.
The Danish media didn’t make too much of Hojlund’s display with TV2 grading him at just four out of 10 after a frustrating night,
“Looked like a man just about to return to his best form. Burned down the Premier League in February, and he didn’t do that in the Park. Finished harmlessly on his only chance,” they wrote.
BT rated Hojlund at two out of six and noticed his frustration, suggesting that he looks ready to ‘boil over’ and that his screams at teammates could be heard around the stadium.
“He looks like someone who is about to boil over every time things go wrong. And when he ran off alone under pressure to just be played around, his furious ‘Come on in!’ screams could be heard all the way through the press boxes. And you understood the frustrations during the match, because it never became dangerous for Højlund today, even though he was played in a few promising situations.”
Bold went with a 4 out of 10 rating, the lowest of Denmark’s starters, whilst DR suggested that Hojlund struggled in tough some battles against Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji.
“The striker from Manchester United loves playing at his old home ground in the Park, where he worked hard and had some tough duels with the Swiss’s big stopper Manuel Akanji from Manchester City. Had an ok attempt with his left foot after the break, but not a game for Højlund this evening.”
Hojlund may be Denmark’s big hope at Euro 2024
Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand is a man under pressure despite guiding his nation to Euro 2024.
Flat performances have become all too common under Hjulmand and Saturday’s display didn’t do much to change national opinion.
Denmark will head towards Euro 2024 with low expectations and Hojlund may be viewed as the big hope despite being just 21.
There is no Michael Laudrup or Jon Dahl Tomasson in this side and star man Christian Eriksen has been struggling for playing time at United, even asking Erik ten Hag for explanations over his lack of action.
It may therefore fall on Hojlund to try and drive Denmark forward, especially if he continues his recent form towards the end of the season.
That would be a lot of pressure on young shoulders but Hojlund has shown that he is made of strong stuff and he will no doubt relish the chance to lead the line for Denmark at Euro 2024.