Hojlund has had an impressive start to the season with Napoli and Denmark
Denmark head coach Brian Riemer has thrown shade at Manchester United, saying that Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles at the club were more about the environment around him than the striker himself, after the forward continued his strong form for club and country.
Hojlund scored twice in Denmark’s 6-0 win over Belarus on Thursday, continuing a positive spell that has seen him settle quickly on loan at Napoli.
The 22-year-old joined the Italian champions in the summer on a season-long deal with an obligation to buy worth £38m, after failing to make a sustained impact at Old Trafford.
He scored just four goals in 32 appearances for United last season amid a crisis period for the club.
However, Hojlund has started on a highly positive note at Napoli, scoring twice in his first four appearances.
“I think Rasmus has the quality for both leagues, without question,” said Riemer. “Does he fit in Italian football? Yes. There was no doubt about that, because he had already proven that.
“But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t fit in English football. On the contrary, I would almost say.
“The fact that he is now on a well-functioning team and has players around him who take pride in doing good for others helps to make the outcome for a striker like Rasmus, who needs to be serviced. It is more important than which league you play in.”
Riemer’s comments were a reference to Hojlund’s time at Manchester United, where the striker often found himself isolated during matches and struggled from lack of service.
United bought a brand new frontline in the summer with the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, leaving Hojlund further down the pecking order before his move to Italy.
However, Hojlund’s replacement Sesko has also started on a positive note, scoring twice despite being bedded in slowly due to a lack of pre-season.
