The Danish international grew up watching Man United’s greatest ever teams and hopes to help bring those glory days back to Old Trafford.
Rasmus Hojlund hopes to emulate the achievements of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo during his time with Manchester United.
Hojlund could make his debut this afternoon when United face Arsenal at the Emirates. The 20-year-old’s arrival in a £72million deal was confirmed nearly a month ago, however a stress fracture in his back was detected during medical tests and he is yet to feature.
After a full week of first-team training, Erik ten Hag admitted that the striker will travel to the Emirates with the rest of the squad. He was handed the No.11 shirt on Sunday morning and could don it for the first time in north London.
Hojlund is a boyhood United fan and has seen some of the world’s best achieve great things in the famous red shirt. And just like Ronaldo, he hopes to develop into a world-beating talent and win major trophies at Old Trafford.
“My father introduced me when I was not so young,” hojlund told Sky Sports. “He introduced me to Cristiano Ronaldo, and wanted me to idolise him because he has a good mentality. That’s the reason he achieved so much in his career and for me is the best player ever.
“He had the talent but it’s how hard he worked. I’ve seen a few interviews with ex-Man United players and they all said he wasn’t a complete footballer when he came but he developed.
“I was watching the Premier League title back when Alex Ferguson had his last season and Van Persie had a good season. These are the memories for me so it’s incredible to be here now and I want to achieve some new great memories for the club and for my own career as well.”
Hojlund has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few seasons, having been on the fringes of FC Copenhagen’s first-team as recently as January 2022. He joined Sturm Graz in Austria later that month before heading to Atalanta the following summer.
A season of major promise in Serie A, coupled with some excellent performances for the Danish national side, caught the attention of Europe’s top sides and the young striker insists it has been a matter of self belief.
“I think it’s important that you have self belief,” he added. “That’s Why I went [to Sturm Graz] because I thought I’m good enough and I want to show them [FC Copenhagen] I’m better than they thought I was.
“It was a win-win situation and I’m grateful they gave me the opportunity and I’m very grateful for Sturm Graz.”
