The theory of former Manchester United players improving after leaving the club seems to gather more pace with each player that walks out of the doors at Old Trafford.
Scott McTominay, Marcus Rashford and Antony are the recent examples of struggling stars finding their feet outside of the pressures heaped on them in Manchester with another high profile name on the way to following suit.
Rasmus Hojlund was pushed out of the club in the summer after a woeful run of form convinced Ruben Amorim the young Dane wasn’t quite up to the standards required at the Theatre of Dreams.
Hojlund returned to Italy to join up with ex-teammate McTominay at Napoli and immediately looks like a different player to the one stripped of any confidence last season.
His electric showing in last nights Champions League game against Sporting saw Hojlund bag a brace in the 2-1 win and earn a shower of plaudits from the adoring home fans.
As reported by the Mirror, local media were left waxing lyrical about the 22-year-old who now has three goals in five games since arriving from United.
From Manchester with love
Headlines were centered around the striker who latched onto a Kevin de Bruyne through ball to calmly slot home to give Napoli the lead in he first half before bravely nodding home the winner midway through the second.
La Gazzetta dello Sport lead with “From Manchester with love” as a nod to both De Bruyne and Hojlund who appear to be striking up a fierce relationship with the former City man drawing comparisons to Erling Haaland.
Corriere della Sera hailed Hojund’s “huger for goals” with Corriere dello Sport labelling the Danish international as a “sniper” after his clinical double secured the vital three points.
Hojlund gushed after the game, confessing how much he enjoys playing for his new side and adding how he “loves scoring in Europe”, one thing he actually did relatively well for United.
Worrying times for United head figures
Whilst it was clear Hojlund’s form for United last year was not up to scratch, he is continuing the worrying trend of dramatic improvement from players when placed in a different environment.
No doubt last night’s showing will have been noted by Amorim and INEOS who are desperately under pressure to get things right at Old Trafford with no signs of the tide turning as yet.
After another drab showing against Brentford last weekend, United entertain Sunderland on Saturday which looks like a do or die fixture for Amorim.
If United fail to get past the newly promoted side in front of home support it’s difficult to see a way out for the Portuguese head coach who is struggling badly to get a tune of out of his players almost 12 months into his reign.
Meanwhile, Hojlund will look to continue his renaissance when Napoli take on Genoa in Serie A on Sunday afternoon.
Featured image Gabriele Maltinti via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Conner Botterill
Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for two years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology, Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.
