Rasmus Hojlund ‘a ghost’ as Italian media reacts to Man Utd loanee’s display against Man City
Rasmus Hojlund may have scored on his debut for Napoli following his loan move from Manchester United, but the striker failed to make an impact against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League on Thursday evening, but another of Ruben Amorim’s outcasts, Marcus Rashford, was on fire for Barcelona against Newcastle United.
Hojlund joined Napoli on loan from Man Utd on the final day of the summer transfer window. Although the striker initially did not want to leave Old Trafford despite the arrival of Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, the Denmark international was eventually convinced to make the switch from the Premier League club to last season’s Serie A winners.
There is an obligation to buy clause in the deal, with Napoli to pay Man Utd £38million (€43.7m, $51.5m) next summer to sign Hojlund on a permanent contract.
The 22-year-old striker made his debut for Napoli last weekend when he started against Fiorentina away from home at Stadio Artemio Franchi and marked it with a goal in the 14th minute.
The expectation was that Hojlund would star for Napoli against Man City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League on Thursday evening.
Ahead of the match, Napoli director Giovanni Manna told Sky Sport Italia: “Hojlund settled in very quickly, it is a strong squad, he already knows Italy even if he was young, and Manchester United’s results last season were tough for everyone. He arrived with a positive spirit, and we believe he can have a good impact.”
However, Napoli fell to a 2-0 defeat to Man City, with the defending Italian champions going down to 10 men after just 21 minutes when Giovanni di Lorenzo was sent off.
