Rasmus Hojlund reborn: How Antonio Conte got Man Utd misfit firing again for Napoli

When Hojlund scored on his Napoli debut, Antonio Conte quipped that he had been hoping all along that signing the forward would bring his team the same good fortune as another Old Trafford outcast, Scott McTominay, who had played a starring role in the Partenopei's surprise title triumph in his first season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Luck had had nothing to do with it, though. Conte may be a divisive figure in football but he's also an astute judge of a player's (sometimes hidden) attributes, as well as a magnificent man-manager. McTominay has openly admitted that he felt he had been "misprofiled" in Manchester, repeatedly used as a defensive midfielder - and even a centre-back on occasion. Conte, though, could see that the Scot had "goals in his DNA" and he couldn't have been more correct, with McTominay scoring 13 times during last season's Scudetto success.

Of course, Conte also has previous when it comes to revitalising a No.9 that has flopped at Old Trafford.

When the Italian finally got the chance to work with Romelu Lukaku at Inter after three previous attempts to sign the striker during his time in charge of Juventus and Chelsea, he transformed the big Belgian into one of the most effective forwards in world football by improving his play with his back to goal.

Crucially, Conte is just as confident that he can do something similar with Hojlund.

"He's a 22-year-old who was on the sidelines at Manchester United," the Napoli boss enthused after Hojlund's winner against Genoa on October 5. "He has significant room for improvement. He needs to work because he has the potential to become a star, and he's proving it."

There's no denying that Hojlund underwhelmed during his two-year spell at United. At one point during his second season, he went 21 games without a goal - during which time his first touch deserted him and his hold-up play fell apart. Rio Ferdinand was among those that felt Hojlund had also become far too concerned with trying to outmuscle opponents.

"I get frustrated watching because he's always trying to fight the defender and have contact," the former United centre-back told TNT Sports. "Sometimes [you should] release yourself from contact so when you have someone against you, it’s easier to take the ball and get into areas where you'll affect the game, in between the posts and in the box."

It hadn't always been like that, though. There were flashes of the potential star United thought they were buying from Atalanta during a debut campaign in which he became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six consecutive games.

Furthermore, despite looking utterly bereft of confidence by the tail end of last season, Hojlund remained steadfast in his belief that he could "deliver goals" on a consistent basis for United.

"I feel like I've matured a lot, and I feel like I'm ready for what's coming," he told reporters in July. "I'm still very young. People forget that sometimes. Not every striker is scoring 100 goals at the age of 22.

"But I've learned a lot, I think you can see in my game. I'm starting to develop and become even better at the basics."

There's certainly been a noticeable improvement in his link-up play at Napoli, with David Neres having already scored three times from Hojlund assists so far this season.

"Conte gives him confidence and is making him grow," Luca Nigriello, a scout and member of the Sport Entertainment Group agency that represents the Denmark international, told TuttoNapoli. "Rasmus plays, makes mistakes, and learns. He has become hungrier, more consistent. He is a chameleon who adapts to what the team asks and he is also learning new things. He has always been a striker of depth, as seen at Atalanta. Now he is adding movements that are more typical of the penalty area, more like a central reference point, almost like Lukaku."

Unsurprisingly, Conte is thrilled with the way in which Hojlund is learning how to better lead the line by bringing others into the game at every opportunity - not least because his beloved Lukaku has missed the majority of the season so far through injury.

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

Of course, all No.9s are judged by their strike-rate and, as Hojlund pointed out in a slightly strange ketchup analogy, the goals are starting to flow again for him.

Hojlund's overall tally of nine goals is hardly remarkable - even if does mean he's already just one away from matching his entire 2024-25 tally for United - but what is noteworthy is that Sunday's decisive double at Cremonese means he's now netted five times in his last five appearances in all competitions.

Consequently, the past comparisons with Erling Haaland no longer seem quite so farcical, with even Kevin De Bruyne stating Hojlund is "quite similar" to his fellow Scandinavian striker.

"Both are left-footed and like to attack space," the former Manchester City attacking midfielder said, "and I think that Rasmus has a lot of quality."

It's obviously a shame that De Bruyne picked up a potential season-ending injury while converting a penalty against Inter two months ago, breaking up a surprisingly promising partnership.

As Hojlund himself wrote after the October 1 win over Sporting CP at the Maradona, "'Hojlund scores twice in the Champions League after two assists from Kevin de Bruyne' was not on my 2025 bingo card!"

However, Hojlund has continued to thrive without De Bruyne's through-balls and that's clearly down to the "fact that he is now on a well-functioning team", as Denmark coach Brian Riemer put it, while Sesko is being starved of service at Amorim's United.

"I honestly believe Hojlund could have been a 25-goal-a-season striker for Manchester United," Old Trafford icon Peter Schmeichel told Sky Bet. "The problem wasn’t him – it was the way the team played. The system didn't suit him.

"When players like [Alejandro] Garnacho or [Marcus] Rashford got the ball, they looked only to shoot. The ball into the number nine never came, even though Rasmus was making really good runs.

"The fans saw it. They loved him because he fought, he ran, he gave everything, and he had to play every game because there were no other strikers.

"Of course, when you don't score as a striker, people point to it again and again. But what more could he do without service? I’ve seen what he can do when he's on form and gets the right service."

He's certainly getting that at Napoli, and now making the very most of the opportunities coming his way.

Christian Vieri is adamant that Hojlund has it in him to become "one of the best five strikers in the world". "He can score goals, but he knows how to attack deep and wear down defences," the ex-Italy striker told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "He has a strong left foot and is great with his head and his physicality."

Giampaolo Pazzini, meanwhile, says Hojlund is, thanks to Conte, the "strongest striker in Serie A alongside Lautaro Martinez".

"He has undergone an incredible transformation since his arrival," the former Inter and AC Milan striker told Sport Mediaset. "He has always been a good player, but with great instinct, great power, he was something of a wild horse.

"But 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 helping out in the defensive phase."

Hojlund certainly has an impressive work ethic - which is unsurprising for someone that idolises Cristiano Ronaldo. Compatriot Christian Eriksen has argued that Hojlund deserves his current good run of form not only because of everything "he went through at United" but also all of the effort he's put in on and off the pitch.

It was also telling that when he opened his Napoli account, a number of his former United team-mates, including Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire, were quick to congratulate him on an Instagram post entitled "First day at the new job didn't disappoint".

There have been ups and downs since then but when Hojlund says joining Conte’s Napoli was exactly what he needed at this particular point in his career, it's impossible to disagree. Leaving United may not have been his decision but it's unquestionably proven a blessing in disguise.