Rasmus Hojlund left Manchester United this summer to move to Napoli on a season-long loan. The Italian champions reportedly have an obligation to sign the player permanently for around £38m if they manage to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Hojlund is proven in Serie A, having first caught the eye with Atalanta. The Dane arrived at the Campanian club in the summer of 2022 from Sturm Graz and was so impressive in his first campaign that the Red Devils came calling at the end of the season.
Hojlund completed his dream move to Old Trafford and had a quietly impressive debut year with the Premier League giants. The young striker scored 16 times in 42 games in all competitions for United, showing great promise.
However, it all fell apart in his second year, especially following Ruben Amorim’s arrival.
A tough second season
Hojlund struggled for form in his second season at the Theatre of Dreams, managing just 10 goals from 52 games. The situation prompted United to invest heavily in Benjamin Sesko over the summer to solve their goalscoring woes.
The Dane, meanwhile, didn’t feature for the Red Devils this season and was reportedly informed that he isn’t part of their plans after the defeat to Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup.
The 22 year old subsequently completed the loan move to Napoli, where he has enjoyed a decent start to life back in Italy. Hojlund has scored one goal from three games for the Serie A champions so far.
Hojlund was also linked with a loan move to Inter Milan this summer – and a report has now outlined why the transfer failed to materialise.
A phone call
According to Calciomercato via Sport Witness, the Nerazzuri had their eyes on the Danish striker, but decided against a move due to the presence of Francesco Pio Esposito. The Italian striker was very impressive on loan at Spezia last season, scoring 20 goals from 42 games.
Inter Milan initially wanted to sign Hojlund to strengthen their attack, but eventually decided to keep their trust in Pio Esposito. Nerazzurri sporting director Piero Ausilio subsequently made a phone call to the Dane to inform him that they won’t be pursuing a deal.
Ausilio reported said: “Forgive us, but we are halting all negotiations with United because we have seen the right qualities in one of our own players that make us believe in him.”
Interestingly, Napoli were reportedly interested in Pio Esposito as well before signing Hojlund from United.
Featured image Patrick McDermott via Getty Images
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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. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
