Rasmus Hojlund’s eye-opening reaction to what Antonio Conte and Napoli told him spoke volumes, he promised two things

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Napoli manager Antonio Conte has revealed what Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund told him ahead of his summer transfer to the defending Serie A champions.

Antonio Conte touched on summer signing Rasmus Hojlund ahead of Napoli’s Champions League showdown against Premier League side Manchester City.

Napoli travel to the Etihad on Thursday evening to kick off their 2025-26 Champions League campaign, with Hojlund expected to start against Manchester City.

Hojlund made his move to Napoli on deadline day after the 22-year-old Danish forward was deemed surplus to requirements under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.

Manchester United signed Benjamin Sesko in August and the arrival of the 22-year-old Slovenian forward marked the end of Hojlund’s run at the Premier League club.

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Antonio Conte speaks out on an important interaction with Rasmus Hojlund ahead of Napoli signing the Man Utd striker

Rasmus Hojlund faced immense pressure at Manchester United after the Danish talent’s stunning £72m transfer to Old Trafford from Serie A side Atalanta in 2023.

The Denmark international struggled to deliver consistent numbers during his two seasons at United, with Hojlund netting only 26 times in 95 matches for the club.

Hojlund’s struggles at the Red Devils finally caught up with him and United manager Ruben Amorim made the decision to offload the Napoli signing in the summer.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Antonio Conte praised Hojlund and believes that the Napoli striker has a long, bright future ahead of him.

The 56-year-old Italian admitted that Hojlund told him ahead of his transfer that he was “ready” for the summer move and he wanted to play for both him and Napoli.

“In my opinion, we are talking about a player with great potential,” Conte said, as per The Guardian.

“He is only 22, so he has a whole career ahead of him. When we spoke with him, I felt he was really happy to get this new experience and he said he was ready and wanted to play for me and for Napoli.”

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Antonio Conte sends a clear-cut message to Man Utd player Rasmus Hojlund ahead of Napoli’s Champions League clash with Man City

Rasmus Hojlund made his debut for Napoli last Saturday and the United loanee had an immediate impact by scoring inside 15 minutes against Serie A side Fiorentina.

The United striker played 73 minutes on his Napoli debut before Conte withdrew him for Lorenzo Lucca in the 3-1 win at the Artemio Franchi Stadium on the weekend.

Former Inter Milan and Chelsea manager Conte has now told Hojlund that it is ultimately down to him over whether or not he reaches his full potential as a striker.

“Now it’s up to me to improve him and to grow and to become a really top striker,” he continued.

Napoli’s transfer of Hojlund from United includes a clause for a permanent £38m move for the former Atalanta man if certain conditions are met this season.