Manchester United prospect Rasmus Hojlund has been flying in the Champions League so far this season.
With three goals in two games, Rasmus Hojlund is the Champions League’s joint-leading goalscorer at this early stage.
Hojlund is yet to score for Manchester United in the Premier League, however, a solemn reminder that he has a lot to work on still.
The Dane will be in action tonight against his former club Copenhagen, looking to add to his Champions League tally.
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Rasmus Hojlund urged to copy Ciro Immobile
Rasmus Hojlund has had a whirlwind past two years, transferred from Copenhagen to Sturm Graz, to Atalanta to Manchester United.
It was his spell in Serie A which convinced Manchester United to splash out, to continue his development at Old Trafford.
It is Hojlund’s pace which helps him stand out as a scary prospect, with one Danish expert describing the striker as ‘insanely fast’.
Yet one of his former coaches has explained how he urged Hojlund to look beyond his speed, and try to develop goalscorers instincts, citing Ciro Immobile as a player to study.
Jens Bangsbo, a Danish assistant coach at Atalanta, told Tipsbladet that he wanted Hojlund to find positions where he needed to use his pace a little less, to conserve his energy and avoid a reliance on it.
He explained: “I told him to look at Ciro Immobile as a striker and see what he does. He is not the fastest in the world, Immobile, but he is really good at finding positions that mean that when he receives the ball, he has more options than if, for example, you stood with your back to the opponents’ goal.
“I have worked with quite a few players at a fairly high level with good qualities, and he has some different qualities than many of those I have worked with. But there is no reason why those qualities should not be able to develop further. He is only 20 years old, that boy. He has every opportunity to develop into an absolute top player.”
Immobile, currently at Lazio, has scored more than 230 career goals and is one of the most underrated strikers of the past decade.
Hojlund backed by Erik ten Hag
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gave his backing to Rasmus Hojlund when asked about him at his pre-match press conference.
He explained: “It is not a concern. He is scoring for Denmark, he is scoring for us in the Champions League so he will score for us also in the Premier League. I have no doubts about that.”
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