United loanee grew up idolising Cristiano Ronaldo, wanted “to be as good as” Portuguese superstar

Rasmus Hojlund left Manchester United this summer to complete a loan move to Napoli. The Danish striker was deemed surplus to requirements following the arrival of Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig. Hojlund was a rising star in Serie A with Atalanta when he caught the eye of the Red Devils. The Premier League giants were looking to add a new No. 9 to their ranks and decided to invest heavily in the youngster. The Dane generated hope among the Old Trafford faithful after a decent debut campaign in which he scored 16 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions. CompetitionMatchesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsMinutes Played Premier League3010222,171′ Champions League65–489′ FA Cup51–387′ EFL Cup2—41′ Total4316223,088′ Source: TransfermarktUnfortunately, he couldn’t maintain those standards last season, finding the back of the net just 10 times in all competitions as United finished the campaign in 15th place in the Premier League. Rediscovering his form in Serie A After being informed that he was no longer wanted at the Theatre of Dreams, Hojlund completed a loan move to Napoli in the final days of the summer transfer window. The Serie A champions were looking for a new face to help them cope with Romelu Lukaku’s injury, and Antonio Conte placed his trust in Hojlund. The 22 year old has rediscovered his scoring boots since returning to Italy, already netting four goals in seven games. The Partenopei have an obligation to make Hojlund’s stay permanent for £38 million if they secure a place in next season’s Champions League. A recent report relayed by The Peoples Person suggests that Napoli are keen to trigger the option in January, and United have already given their green light to the move. The player’s father has now spoken about his resurgent form in Italy. Loving life in Naples Speaking recently, as cited by Gonfia La Rete, Anders Hojlund revealed that his son is happy at Napoli. He said: “Rasmus and Naples? My son is crazy about the city, the team, and the fans.” “Rasmus was interested in football almost from the moment he was very young. In general, he was always very drawn to the sport, thanks in part to me and his mother. “He was already a huge sports fan in kindergarten, and at the age of 4, he started playing for his first club.” Anders went on to explain how former United forward Cristiano Ronaldo had inspired his son, adding: “I remember perfectly the first time he told me about his desire to become a footballer.” “Remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was sitting with him, talking about football in his room 3, and I was looking at a poster of Cristiano Ronaldo. “Then he turned to me and said, ‘I want to be as good as Cristiano!’ All I could do was tell him how hard he needed to start training, and we needed to start training with him.” United will be pleased with Hojlund’s change in fortunes. Offloading the Dane permanently works to the benefit of all parties involved, as he is no longer part of Amorim’s plans. 🚨 Rasmus Hojlund’s Napoli debut: • 73 minutes• 1 goal• 1 key pass• 2/2 shots on target• 5/7 ground duels won• 100% dribbles completed• 100% long balls completed• 100% aerial duels won pic.twitter.com/aqEkkpfQIa — The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) September 13, 2025 Featured image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.