Christian Eriksen tells Man United fans what they can expect from incoming striker Rasmus Højlund
Sport
If one of the silkiest midfielders in Premier League rates him, he must be half-decent.
Manchester United and Denmark midfielder, Christian Eriksen, has given his two cents on the Red Devils’ incoming new striker, Rasmus Højlund, after the club reportedly reached an agreement to sign the young Dane last week.
Rasmus Winther Højlund had been one of a number of centre-forwards on Man United ‘s list of transfer targets over the past few months, alongside the likes of England captain Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
However, after interest in the Premier League marksman and Serie A’s top goalscorer seems to have cooled, United stepped up their pursuit of the Atlanta striker and managed to get a deal over the line on Sunday, 30 July for an estimated fee of £72 million including add-ons.
Ahead of Højlund flying to Manchester on Tuesday afternoon to finalise his move, according to Sky Sports, his fellow compatriot and soon-to-be United teammate, Christian Eriksen, shed some light on what fans can expect from their inbound signing.
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen shares his thoughts on potential new signings Rasmus Hojland and Andre Onana 💭✍️ pic.twitter.com/y0gbo1rkQP
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 31, 2023
Eriksen shares his thoughts on what Højlund might bring to Old Trafford.
Speaking to media after Erik ten Hag and co.’s final pre-season game against Borussia Dortmund (which ended in a 3-2 defeat), the 31-year-old admitted that while he hadn’t seen much of the football he played over in Italy last season, the youngster has left a good impression on international duty.
“He’s a strong number nine and has developed a lot in the last year from when I first saw him with the national team”, Eriksen told the likes of Simon Peach and Melissa Reddy in the post-match interviews.
Labelling him a “nice guy” and “very good player” already, the creative midfielder who arrived at Old Trafford last year said Højlund is turning into an out-and-out striker both for his national team and Atalanta, joking that many might not have heard him prior to the transfer rumours because of the lake of media attention in Denmark.
Many supporters were also pleased to learn recently that it isn’t just his finishing ability they can look forward to (being dubbed by some as ‘ the next Haaland ‘) but that he always has quite the turn of pace when his legs get going — the fastest in the Atalanta squad and faster than Rashford in some instances.
How Rasmus Højlund’s top speed compares to the fastest #mufc players last season:
– 𝐇ø𝐣𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐝: 𝟑𝟓.𝟗𝟕 𝐤𝐦/𝐡
– Rashford: 35.95 km/h
– Dalot: 35.76 km/h
– Antony: 35.29 km/h
– Shaw: 34.85 km/h
– Malacia: 34.76 km/h😮💨💨 pic.twitter.com/BWvn0Grrd3
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) July 31, 2023
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Although many have laughed off the comparison between Højlund and Haaland — the former registering scoring 1 6 goals and seven assists in 41 appearances last season compared to the Norwegian’s record-breaking Premier League tally and 41 goals in the same number of games at his age — there’s clearly a lot of buzz around the soon-to-be-announced signing.
The young forward is expected to complete his move later today (Tuesday, 1 August) and will reportedly sign a five-year contract with an option of extending for a further year.
If you want a better idea of the kind of player United are getting their hands on, you can watch Rasmus Højlund highlights from the 2022/23 season down below:
He might not quite be the ‘next Haaland’ but he doesn’t look half bad.
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Featured Image — Rasmus Winther Højlund (via Instagram)/Sky Sports (via Twitter)
Sport
Lionesses finish top of their Women’s World Cup group after convincing win against China
Danny Jones 
England are into the knockout stages of the 2023 Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand after the Lionesses finished comfortably at the top of their group with a 6-1 win against China.
The Lionesses had been limited to a single goal in each of their two opening games against Haiti and Denmark but ended up cruising into the round of 16 thanks to a hat full of goals, two of the most special coming from Chelsea’s Lauren James and the fifth of which came from Manchester City’s Chloe Kelly.
The Euro 2022-winning hero wasn’t the only Manc-centric player to find the back of the net either, as former United star Alessia Russo opened the scoring in just the fourth minute with a great touch and finish into the bottom left corner of the Chinese goalkeeper’s net.
Her first effort was nice enough but we could watch this second goal from Lauren James back all day:
She could have had a third as well were it not for an offside call.
Admittedly, it was a bit of a lacklustre performance from the Chinese, who have finished as runners-up in the both Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, as well as regularly dominating in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, but the Lionesses preyed on their weakness at every opportunity.
England women’s found their sixth through a reactive volley at the back post from Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly and despite a few wobbles in concentration early in the second half, Sarina Wiegman’s squad showed the kind of quality that helped them become the European champions that they are.
While there was plenty to choose from, our pick of the bunch might just be Lauren Hemp’s, though, more because it showed every aspect of the Lionesses game, from their doggedness in the press, pace in the transition and clinical finishing ability when they’re in the mood.
Just look at how quickly this goes from China in possession to an England goal:
Hempo helping the Lionesses top the group in style.
Read more:
- Where to watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Manchester
- Man United sign ‘biggest kit deal in Premier League history’ as they extend Adidas partnership
- Huge Mary Earps mural appears near Old Trafford as Nike refuses to sell her Lionesses kit
Speaking after the game, former England player and WSL star Karen Carney said it felt like “we’ve arrived” in the tournament, comparing the showing to England’s record-breaking 8-0 win against Norway at the Euros — we tend to agree.
The Lionesses closed out Group D with all nine points available and a total of eight goals scored, although the opening two games were, admittedly, a much more closely run affair.
England will now face Nigeria in the round of 16 on Monday, 7 August at Brisbane Stadium, with the West Africa side having finished second in their group behind host nation Australia.
Keep it going, girls, we’re right behind you. It’s coming home.
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Featured Image — Lionesses
Sport
Man United sign ‘biggest kit deal in Premier League history’ as they extend Adidas partnership
Danny Jones 
Manchester United have reportedly signed what is thought to be “the biggest kit deal in Premier League history” as they confirm they have extended their partnership with Adidas.
The Red Devils restarted their relationship with Adidas in the 2015-16 season more than 23 years on from when the brand last manufactured their kits and having now agreed to extend their partnership, the club is expected to net an estimated total of £900m. Isn’t football money just plain silly sometimes?
Signing a new 10-year deal , the revised contract with Adidas will see Man United earn revenues of £90m per season and remain part of the German sporting giants’ family for at least another decade and a minimum of 18 years by the time the deal ends.
In fact, if you tally up the years those in red first donned the three stripes from 1980 to 1992 as well, United will have been wearing Adidas strips for a total of 30 years by 2025.
Read more:
- KSI vs Tommy Fury fight confirmed for October at Manchester’s AO Arena
- Vodafone and Three agree massive merger to become biggest mobile phone operator in the UK
- Plans approved for new ‘best-in-class’ entertainment destination at the Etihad Stadium
The decade-long deal itself, aside from being worth nearly £1 billion in total, is an increase of £150m on their previous agreement signed in 2014 , when United returned to the Adidas family to the tune of £750m — a record fee back then and still a staggering figure today.
As detailed in a joint statement, the two massive sporting franchises also insisted that “the new deal increases the focus on the Manchester United Women’s team since their reintroduction in 2018 – continuing Manchester United and Adidas’ commitment to drive the women’s game forward.”
The club’s CEO Richard Arnold said: “The relationship between Manchester United and Adidas is one of the most iconic in world sport, forged through a shared commitment to style, flair and, most importantly, high performance. With its roots in the 1980s, our partnership has been reinvented over the past decade with some of the most innovative designs and technology in sportswear.”
Elsewhere, whilst United have recently secured the signatures of Mason Mount, André Onana and now Rasmus Højlund , a deal to sell the club is yet to be agreed after months of back and forth with the two lead bidders and supporters are still none the wiser as to if and when the Glazers will leave Old Trafford.
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Featured Image — Manchester United/Adidas
