Rasmus Hojlund eclipses Man Utd goal tally with another brace as Napoli star doubles down on decision to leave Red Devils

Hojlund moved to United from Italian outfit Atalanta as the Premier League powerhouse sought to rectify their striker issues. Yet the 22-year-old struggled for form and game time under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim in England, and subsequently departed for Napoli on an initial season-long loan over the summer.

And Hojlund has made a fine start to the Serie A season, scoring his fifth and sixth league goals of the season as Napoli eased past Cremonense on Sunday. As such, the Denmark international has now scored as more league goals for Napoli this season then he managed for United in the Premier League last season, achieving the feat in 22 fewer games.

At the time of writing, only Lautaro Martinez and Christian Pulisic have scored more league goals than Hojlund in Serie A this season, the Milan-based pair having struck eight times in Italy's top tier this term. And Hojlund recently took aim at parent side United after Napoli won the Supercoppa Italiana for the third time in their history.

David Neres struck either side of half time against Bologna on Monday night as Napoli claimed the Italian Super Cup for the third time in their history. At full time, Hojlund posted a picture of himself holding the trophy with the caption: "What a great decision looks like"

Hojlund's move to Napoli will be made permanent for £38m in the summer if certain conditions are met, including the Naples giants qualifying for the Champions League. As things stand, that could prove money well spent as the striker continues to shine for Antonio Conte's side.

And Hojlund's form under the legendary Italian coach has caught the eye of former Inter star Christian Vieri. The iconic striker, who also played for Atalanta, AC Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Atletico Madrid, believes that Hojund is "one of the five best strikers in the world".

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In an interview with Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Napoli's meeting with Cremonense, the 52-year-old waxed lyrical about Hojlund, stating: "I consider Hojlund as potentially one of the five best strikers in the world. He can score goals, but he knows how to attack deep and wear down defences. He has a strong left foot and is great with his head and his physicality."

Vieri did state, though, though Conte as "a great problem to solve" when Romelu Lukaku is fit again, adding: "In short, he has everything. It’s not easy to take his place away from him, but it has to be said that Lukaku knows how to make the rest of his teammates play well as well.

"They need both, but deciding who plays is up to Conte alone: A great problem to have to solve."

Lukaku is yet to make an appearance for Napoli this season having suffered a thigh injury during a pre-season friendly with Greek side Olympiacos in mid-August.

Napoli's 2-0 win over Cremonense on Sunday afternoon saw the Partenopei move back to within one point of league leaders AC Milan, who claimed a 3-0 home win over Verona earlier in the day as a Pulisic strike and a Christopher Nkunku brace saw the Rossoneri retain top spot.

However, both Napoli and AC Milan may drop down the table should Inter beat Atalanta in Bergamo on Sunday night. Inter are two points behind city rivals AC Milan and one behind Napoli in an incredibly tight Serie A title race.