Napoli midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has made a striking claim about Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund after he led the Italian side to a 2-1 Champions League victory over Sporting Lisbon.
Hojlund stuns for Napoli
Since making his late-summer switch from United to Napoli, Hojlund has looked like a player transformed.
He bagged his first goal for Napoli on his debut as Antonio Conte’s men cruised to a 3-1 Serie A victory over Fiorentina. The Dane has shown progress under Conte, but it was on Wednesday evening that he truly came alive.
Hojlund opened the scoring in the 36th minute, latching onto a De Bruyne through ball before racing forward and firing home with a superb finish.
Luis Suarez drew Sporting level shortly after the hour mark as he converted from the penalty spot. But, Hojlund had the final word, nodding home a superb De Bruyne cross to seal all three points for the Partenopei.
It was an incredible night for Hojlund, who was crowned the Player of the Match.
Rasmus Højlund ⚽️⚽️🏆 #UCL | #POTM pic.twitter.com/QRIxIn1yQ1
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 1, 2025
After the final whistle, De Bruyne spoke to reporters and likened the United striker to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
De Bruyne makes stunning Hojlund claim
De Bruyne said [as quoted by Get Football News Italy], “We played a great game, but Sporting are strong and played a great game with technique and intensity.”
“We created chances, but then the penalty was a bit of a stupid mistake. We deserved the win today.”
“I was trying to get into that space for the first goal and was waiting for the right moment to pass it to Rasmus, luckily he did the rest. I think Rasmus is growing a lot and is very similar to Haaland.”
Asked what makes Hojlund and Haaland similar, De Bruyne remarked, “I think they are very similar because they both like to attack the depth.”
“Maybe Hojlund comes to play the ball towards us more, but I think he needs to attack the space a lot because he can score and give us a big hand.”
Having played alongside Haaland at City, De Bruyne is well placed to comment on the Norwegian and on how closely Hojlund compares to him.
Featured image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
