Juventus could be willing to be use Douglas Luiz as an “important card” in negotiations with Manchester United to land the Serie A side’s “number one” target, Rasmus Hojlund, according to a report from Italy.
Hojlund, 22, has endured a miserable campaign at Old Trafford this year after a promising debut season for the Red Devils. The Danish international joined from Atalanta in the summer of 2023 for a fee worth a potential £72 million – a significant overpayment on a young player with the lack of top-level experience Hojlund had.
But Hojlund enjoyed a reasonable season amidst a sea of woeful performances by his new teammates under Erik ten Hag, finishing the year with 16 goals and two assists, despite United’s chaotic football and the striker adapting to the rigours of English football.
With only a few games to go of this campaign, the 22-year-old has nine goals and four assists in all competitions. A second season at a major club for a big signing should be an opportunity to build on your debut year, not regress.
But regression is precisely what Hojlund has experienced with a paltry four league goal as United stagger to their worst season in Premier League history. The Dane’s all-round play has, arguably, been even more concerning than his lack of threat in the opposition box.
For large parts of the year, Hojlund has been a non-entity in possession, offering poor link-up and a weak target up front for his teammates to play off. He engages in pointless tussles with defenders, failing to utilise his speed to run in behind the opposition backline.
Perhaps most interestingly, a statistical analysis of the 22-year-old’s efforts on goal reveal a clinical finisher who can score from a variety of angles off either foot. But Hojlund is so reticent to shoot, that this attribute – which is, arguably, one of the most important for a successful striker – is utterly wasted.
Hojlund’s confidence has hit a painful nadir this season with the Dane struggling through matches in a Red shirt, bereft of the idea he might have a shot on target, let alone score.
A new striker is a priority for United this summer and reports suggest the club will listen to offers for their current number nine, if a suitable proposal arrives. And one could arrive from Juventus, as they identified Hojlund as their “number one” target this summer.
Executives within Serie A believe Hojlund retains the ability to develop into an excellent striker after his initial ascension at Atalanta under the careful tutelage of Gian Gasperini.
Both Juventus and Napoli hold an interest in bringing the striker back to Italy with Tutto Sport (as relayed by Sports Witness) revealing the Old Lady are considering using Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz – himself linked with a move to Old Trafford – as an “important card” in negotiations for Hojlund.
Luiz, 26, has not settled to life in Turin since his €50 million move from Aston Villa last summer and a return to the Premier League has been suggested to reignite the midfielder’s career – a comparable journey to Hojlund, only in reverse.
Luiz was brilliant for Villa in a deep-lying playmaker role; the exact type of midfielder United are crying out for with Ruben Amorim being forced to deploy Bruno Fernandes in midfield to improve the team’s ability to progress the ball.
If the Brazilian could recapture this form at the heart of the Red Devils’ midfield, it would prove a smart signing while simultaneously admitting defeat on Hojlund, enabling the Dane to return to the league which he first showed such promise in.
Featured image Simone Alveda via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
