Napoli manager Antonio Conte has singled out Rasmus Hojlund after the on-loan Manchester United striker’s important impact against Sporting CP in the Champions League.
Napoli picked up their first win in the 2025-26 Champions League campaign under Antonio Conte on Wednesday evening at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Rasmus Hojlund led the Napoli frontline against Sporting CP and the 22-year-old Danish forward linked up superbly well with summer signing Kevin De Bruyne.
Kevin De Bruyne picked up both assists in Hojlund’s stunning brace in Napoli’s 2-1 victory over Sporting, with the Manchester United striker being the difference-maker.
Hojlund opened the scoring for Napoli in the first half after De Bruyne played him through and the Denmark striker coolly slotted the ball past Sporting’s Rui Silva.
What Antonio Conte has noticed about Rasmus Hojlund’s development at Napoli after the Man Utd star’s impact
Luis Suarez netted an equaliser for Sporting CP in the second half of Wednesday’s Champions League tie from the spot-kick at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
However, Rasmus Hojlund restored Napoli’s advantage after De Bruyne picked him out with a dangerous cross and the Manchester United loanee headed past Rui Silva.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Antonio Conte waxed lyrical about the Denmark international and even labelled the in-form Hojlund as a “serious player.”
The 56-year-old Napoli manager added that Hojlund has been developing as a striker by ‘understanding’ the “right positioning” and “how to attack the depth.”
“Rasmus is a 22-year-old player with significant potential,” Conte said, as per il Napolista.
“What he can do — if he’s willing, and we’ll let him find it because he’s a serious player — is that he has significant room to grow.
“He’s starting to understand the right positioning, how to attack the depth. We lost Lukaku, who was a cornerstone of the Scudetto: I spoke to him and I also offer my condolences on the death of his father. Romelu isn’t there; we started the season with significant absences.”
Antonio Conte sends a message to Man Utd loanee Rasmus Hojlund after Napoli’s 2-1 Champions League win vs Sporting CP
Hojlund made way in the dying stages of the contest at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium after he was replaced in the 90th minute for Lorenzo Lucca.
Conte has now admitted that it is important to shape Hojlund in a way that allows the Napoli summer signing to become a “star” and thrive even more in his career.
“Rasmus is a great asset and you can see he’s a player,” he explained.
“It’s up to me and my staff to implement our knowledge and improve him to make him a star. He has great prospects, but as a striker, he needs to become a star.”
Hojlund, who signed on loan for Napoli on deadline day in September, has netted three times in five appearances across all competitions for Conte’s men.
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