Man Utd loanee Rasmus Hojlund hailed as the 'strongest striker in Serie A' alongside World Cup winner after 'incredible transformation' at Napoli

Hojlund joined Napoli on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer, and has already gone on to score six Serie A goals, netting a brace last time out in a 2-0 win over Cremonese. The Denmark star's exploits may come as something of a surprise, given his well-documented struggles at Old Trafford. During his first two seasons at United after joining from Atalanta, he made 95 appearances but only scored 26 goals, of which only 14 came in the Premier League. Now, though, he has been hailed as one of the best centre-forwards in Italy's top-flight. He has already eclipsed his league goal tally at United last season, doing so in 22 fewer games.

Christian Vieri, the former Italy international, has claimed that Hojlund has the ability to become one of the best strikers in the world. 

He said: "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."

Giampaolo Pazzini, a former striker with Fiorentina, AC Milan and Inter, has also waxed lyrical about Hojlund, while giving Napoli boss Antonio Conte credit for bringing the best out of him. Pazzini told Sportsmediaset: “At the moment, Hojlund, under [Antonio] Conte, is the strongest striker in Serie A alongside Lautaro [Martinez]. Since he arrived, he has undergone an incredible transformation.

“He has always been a good player, but with great instinct, great power, he was a wild horse. Conte took him, educated him and raised him.

“Now he’s a fantastic striker because he plays for the team, he doesn’t make a single mistake, he never gets anticipated, he plays short, he plays long, he’s vicious in front of goal.

“Now he’s decisive throughout the match and you also find him in the defensive phase.”

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Conte has claimed that Hojlund is becoming "dominant" as he grows in Serie A. 

He said: “Hojlund is a player who is very young, he’s still only 22 years old, and can improve a great deal.

“Since he first joined us, he has already progressed to become a dominant player in that role, because he’s starting to understand the right positions to take, how to defend the ball, when to come towards it or back off.

“He is really well connected with the team. In my style of football, the strikers have a very important and special role in the overall approach, and he has huge margin for further improvement.”

A member of Hojlund's entourage, Luca Nigriello, revealed his motivations, adding: “When we were closing the operation with Napoli there was great enthusiasm. Rasmus arrived from a complicated period at Manchester United, but he never experienced Napoli as a stop-gap (ripiego). He arrived with true hunger, with the desire to get back into the game. Character-wise he is strong, tough, he knows what he wants.

“Conte gives him confidence and is making him grow. Rasmus plays, makes mistakes, and learns. He has become hungrier, more consistent. He is a chameleon who adapts to what the team asks.”

Napoli play Lazio on Sunday as they bid to continue their title defence. Conte's side are third in Serie A, two points behind current leaders Inter. The two sides will clash on January 11 when Hojlund and Co head to the San Siro. Hojlund won the Suppercopa Italiana this year, and is now gunning for his first major trophy in Italy. He did lift the FA Cup during his time at United, having also won the league with Copenhagen in 2020-21.