Rasmus Hojlund was shocked to find out he was worth £72million but he has the mentality to lead Man Utd to glory
MANCHESTER UNITED fans are crying out for Rasmus Hojlund to lead the team out of early season trouble.
The Red Devils’ new signing used a megaphone to address Danish fans after coming on as a substitute in last weekend’s 1-0 win over Finland, putting the team back on track to qualify for Euro 2024 .
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And after a contentious few weeks for boss Erik ten Hag with Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Antony, Hojlund is finally ready to deliver more good news.
The 20-year-old striker will now be hoping to make a big splash when he makes his full debut against Brighton tomorrow.
And the sporting director of his old Danish club is convinced he has the personality and ability to become an Old Trafford hit.
Christian Mouroux of Minnows Horsholm-Usserod Idraetsklub in North Zealand knows Hojlund well, having worked with him since he was 12.
He revealed: “Rasmus was never an arrogant person, but he was always extremely confident and extremely focused.”
“If anyone can do that, I would say it is Rasmus who can withstand that pressure.”
Hojlund is not the first strapping, confident Danish centre-forward to arrive in England with high expectations.
Mouroux, who himself followed Hojlund as coach to Bröndby, said: “A good comparison can be made with the other emerging superstar we had in Nicklas Bendtner.
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“They are both No. 9s, both very physical and have that twinkle in their eyes. They are humorous, outgoing and cheeky.
“Bendtner was probably a more naturally gifted footballer, but that may have made him take things lightly and allow himself to be influenced by whatever comes from outside when you become a superstar.”
“Rasmus is completely different. While I’m sure he’ll probably buy a bigger car and have a nice watch, it won’t be out of proportion.
“He has the right mentality for it. He is so disciplined. He’s very aware of what hard work means to you, and it’s hard work that got him where he is today.”
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Hojlund’s discipline comes from father Anders, a former semi-pro striker, and mother Kirsten Winther, a former 100-meter sprinter.
The family home is still just around the corner from HUI and has been remodeled to help Hojlund and his younger twin brothers Oscar and Emil (now on FC Copenhagen’s U19 team) reach their potential.
Mouroux said: “Rasmus’ father is a carpenter. When they renovated their house, he converted the basement into a soccer field so they could play in bad weather.
“Anders trained all three of his sons at HUI. But when these boys came home and had lost a game or not played well, the mother was just as hard on them, perhaps even more so, and pushed them to develop the right mentality.
“They had it from a young age and from both sides.”
Rasmus was never an arrogant person, but he was always extremely confident and extremely focused.
Christian Mouroux
Hojlund’s commitment to self-improvement, rather than his spectacular talent, was what set him apart as a child.
Mouroux said: “He played a year older and was always quite physically developed. As I recall he was an attacking midfielder.
“But he wasn’t as fast as he is now, and he wasn’t exceptionally gifted compared to those he played with.
“I remember him running across the field in a Manchester United jersey. But I often saw him training alone in the stadium.
“He later stood out for his individual training, for constantly running through cones, for shooting, for his father constantly giving him balls, and for training with his brothers.”
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HUI had a partnership with Bröndby and Hojlund moved shortly before his 12th birthday.
But when he and his father felt he wasn’t making enough progress, he went to FC Copenhagen.
It was there that Hojlund’s ability to be a powerhouse No.9 was unleashed and he made his first-team debut at 17.
Nevertheless, he failed to establish himself as the first-choice frontman. So in January 2022, as an 18-year-old, he moved to Sturm Graz in Austria.
SG sports director Andreas Schicker and head coach Christian Ilzer were impressed by how confidently Hojlund took the big step.
After an impressive first half of the season, Hojlund started the next season in style. The second goal of his brace in the 2-1 win against champions Red Bull Salzburg in July 2022, a lightning-fast run that ended with a beautiful finish, was groundbreaking.
He has the right mentality for it. He is so disciplined. He is very aware of what hard work means to you and it is hard work that has gotten him to where he is today.
Christian Mouroux
Ilzer said: “It was probably the goal that opened all the doors of European football for him.”
Weeks later he was signed for almost £15m by Atalanta, whose boss Gian Piero Gasperini added to the hype surrounding the ‘new Erling Haaland’.
Less than a year later, United agreed an initial transfer fee of £64 million plus £8 million in add-ons, making him by far the most expensive Danish player of all time.
Mouroux said: “I know he was surprised when the number first came up.
“But once he realized that, he thought, ‘There has to be a reason why someone would want to pay this for me.’ “Someone believed in what I could do. Now it’s just a matter of me doing what is expected of me and knowing what I can do to meet those expectations.”
There were promising signs in Hojlund’s United debut as a substitute in the defeat to Arsenal.
Now that he has just given a rallying cry to his country, he needs to give United fans something to be happy about.
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