Rasmus Hojlund has said he is “far from the finished article” and there is a lot more to come from him since his £72 million move to Manchester United.
The 20-year-old Dane also admitted he still needs to “find the rhythm” with United having struggled so far this campaign.
They will hope that the dramatic 1-0 Champions League win over Hojlund’s former club FC Copenhagen, that kept alive their hopes of reaching the last-16, is further evidence that they are getting their season back on track.
The striker scored in their previous two Champions League games, against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray, which, nevertheless, both ended in defeat and left their chances of getting through their group hanging by a thread.
Hojlund has been a rare positive for United since joining from Atalanta with the club having tracked him since he was a teenager at Copenhagen and then with Sturm Graz in Austria before moving to Serie A.
Given the price paid for him, and United’s desperate need for a centre-forward, Hojlund has had to deal with the weight of expectation having also not been fully fit at the start of the season.
“It has been all right,” he said of his career so far at United. “I’ve tried my best every time I play, and I still need to find the rhythm. We have been struggling a little bit, but we are getting there now. We have had three wins in a row (in all competitions), so that is very positive.”
Hojlund said he was not fazed by the fee United had to eventually pay to sign him. “I know my worth,” he added. “I know I have to perform every day because I play for Manchester United. In the end, I am only 20-years-old and I am not the finished article yet. I still have a lot to improve and I am getting there slowly. I reckon I have had a fine start to the season and now we have to keep building and the goals will come in the Premier League.”
Hojlund’s rise has been meteoric – it was just under three years ago that he made his first-team debut for Copenhagen. “It has gone fast, but I have always had the self-belief and I want to improve every day, and that is the reason why I am here. Hopefully I can keep my streak going upwards,” Hojlund said.
The striker’s younger twin brothers Oscar and Emil are both with Copenhagen. Oscar, 18, came on as a late substitute at Old Trafford. “It is a great feeling being on the same pitch as my brother, and not only in a normal stadium,” Hojlund said with their parents among the spectators. “In Denmark it is one of the most special stadiums in the world, so it is a special feeling.”
Hojlund grew up supporting United – which boosted their chances of signing him. “I play for my boyhood club,” he said. “I have always supported Manchester United, so I am living my dream every day…I try to show personality and want to give 110 per cent every time I play a football match, so maybe that is the reason why they (the fans) are showing a special bond towards me.”
That bond would be strengthened even further if Hojlund were to score in Sunday’s Manchester derby against City, back at Old Trafford – especially if he emulates his greatest memory of previous encounters. “The bicycle kick from Wayne Rooney, of course! Everybody remembers that, don’t they?” Hojlund said of Rooney’s astonishing goal in United’s 2-1 victory in Feb 2011.
There will be inevitable comparisons, though, to another world-class striker – City’s Erling Haaland. “Like I’ve said many times, I don’t want to be compared to him,” Hojlund stated. “He is incredible and probably the best striker in the world right now. We can keep that on the low for now, but I hope I can improve and then we will see what I am capable of.”
