Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund had plenty of ups and downs during his first season at Old Trafford and is now looking to shine at Euro 2024.
A striker was an absolute top priority for Manchester United last summer and many wanted to see Harry Kane arrive at Old Trafford.
Proven in the Premier League, bang in his prime, looking to leave Tottenham Hotspur – the interest would have made sense.
Instead, United went down a completely different route by coughing up the cash to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.
The Dane had spent just one season in Serie A and was previously scoring for Sturm Graz in Austria, so the move was a huge step up.
Hojlund found his feet quickly in the Champions League but found premier League goals hard to come by until December.
The 21-year-old ended the season with 16 goals in all competitions, a great platform on which to build for next season – and possibly for Euro 2024 too.
Danish press on Rasmus Hojlund display
Hojlund has established himself as one of Denmark’s key players and surely a nailed-on starter at Euro 2024.
Denmark – who reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020 – have a very tricky group at Euro 2024, facing off against Slovenia, England and Serbia.
Hojlund will need to turn up with some big performances if Denmark are to reach the semi-finals again and he does look set to start in Germany.
The United ace started up top against Sweden on Wednesday night as Denmark won their friendly 2-1.
Jonas Wind joined Hojlund up front as Denmark went with a 3-4-1-2 system, utilising Christian Eriksen as a number 10.
Eriksen bagged a goal and an assist, receiving huge praise from the Danish media in the process.
The reports on Hojlund’s display are a little more mixed though as Bold rated the striker at just four out of 10 for his display against Sweden.
They suggested that Hojlund is a real ‘fighter’ and improved after the break, but only really showed glimpses of his quality.
“The young United striker is a fighter like few. Hold on, how he wants it. But as the national team’s first striker, more is needed before you can pass. In the first half he struggled mightily to win his duels, but after the break there was much more juice and power in the actions. Unfortunately, we only got glimpses of it.”
Tipsbladet were a little more convinced though, suggesting that Hojlund looked ‘sharp’ against Sweden, even if he does need to come up with more quality in the final third.
They felt that Hojlund was a real nuisance against the Swedish back line, branding him a ‘constant threat’ whilst praising his pressing.
“There was no FA Cup hangover with Højlund, who was a pestilence for the Swedish defenders. He pressed well and was a constant threat with his speed. Was close to scoring a great goal in the second half when he played with Ekdal, but he sent the ball just wide. Højlund looks sharp, but needs to come up with more – and his teammates must of course help him with that.”
Hojlund looking to kick on as Manchester United competition expected
Hojlund enjoyed a decent first campaign at United and nobody is expecting the club to give up on him any time soon.
Yet the reality is that United need another striker this summer – and may spend handsomely to bring one in.
RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko continues to be heavily linked with a £56million move to United, though there is competition from Arsenal and Chelsea.
Anthony Martial’s exit this summer means that United need to add more competition for Hojlund moving forward.
Sesko could be the one and Hojlund will need to enjoy a strong summer – both with Denmark and then in pre-season training with United – to take the next step in his development.
This is the first major tournament for Hojlund and he should have the chance to shine; he just needs to seize the opportunity and potentially cause England some problems in the process.