“I can recognize the parallels. He is quick. I’m also quick. He has a left foot. I have a left foot as well. He and I both have strength. Hojlund may have continued by mentioning how confident they both are. Next season, he might move to Manchester and work with Haaland.
Manchester United’s interest highlights the precocious talent’s quick rise; when he left Copenhagen for Sturm Graz in January of last year, he was yet to register his first league goal. Before being traded to Atalanta, he had only been there for seven months.
His influence in Austria was so great that the club earned a fee of €17 million (£14.56 million), which is about 10 times what they had paid. As a result of his subsequent success in Serie A, Atalanta may now seek much more money. But what did Sturm Graz think of the man who is currently being hailed as United’s next superstar?
Andreas Schicker, the sporting director, uses Hojlund as a model. “The idea here is to have success on the pitch with a team built around a few more experienced leaders who are surrounded by young, talented players who we want to develop,” he says to Sky Sports.
“We succeed, have a profit, and prepare them for the next phase. Rasmus is a fantastic illustration of how well it functions. He came, did well, assisted us in achieving our objectives, established himself, then left for a better club in a greater league.
“When we scout a player, we have a pretty clear and defined profile for every position, which is one of our assets. We want seeking a striker with a lot of speed and depth in their game. Rasmus was a wonderful fit when we first scouted him.
Another crucial step was the early character check we did on him, which involved video calls with his family. He was only 18 years old at the time, thus his mental toughness was particularly amazing for a player of that age.
Christian Ilzer, the head coach of Sturm Graz, who has the responsibility of assimilating him into the group, agrees. When Schicker talks of ‘depth’ he is referring to the line-breaking runs in behind the opposition that Hojlund makes time and time again.
Ilzer expressed comparable admiration for his demeanor, calling him very approachable, witty, and open, but it was more than that. This young man was moving overseas for the first time, but it was obvious he was confident when they first met at a training camp in Slovenia.
“Before we signed Rasmus, we took a very careful look at him, looking beyond the player, so I already had a very clear picture of him as a person. However, he still pleasantly surprised me in all respects about himself as a person when he arrived in Catez.
The outgoing nature of his personality meant that he ‘arrived’ in the squad rather fast. In only his second game with us, there was a time when he scored and joyfully celebrated in front of the Rapid Wien fans against us.
“I made an effort to convince him that this was the incorrect course of action. But I soon realized that he requires this large stage as well. He requires this “extra.” Playing in front of and against the crowd does not impede him; rather, it encourages him to find that extra 5% in his performance.
“He has this great attitude and aura around him. A full stadium is not something that intimidates him, it pushes him. It does not matter if it is at home or in the opposition stadium. There is something inside him to be at ‘one’ with the fans and to excite them.
“It is like the pitch is a concert stage and he is a rock star, there to excite the crowd. He feels naturally comfortable on that stage. It is why he was an instant fan-favorite in his short time here and it is also why he is made for the biggest stages in football.”
Along with the strike against Rapid, he also scored two more goals in a victory over Red Bull Salzburg last August, a performance that caught the attention of clubs throughout the continent. Schicker quickly realized the club’s long-term plan for Hojlund was already well in advance of schedule.
He claims that “everyone saw that he was destined for bigger things.” “We assisted in enhancing his playing profile, and after he got off to such a strong start last summer, it was impossible to put off the next development. I believe he selected a good club for that next step in Atalanta.
His influence spread quickly in Italy as well. Gian Piero Gasperini, an accomplished coach, acknowledged that while he had anticipated Hojlund’s ability to sprint, even he was taken aback by the player’s fortitude and desire to keep making such daring runs.
Before Hojlund found his stride following the World Cup, scoring in four straight games, he scored in his first Serie A start. His ever-improving performance for Denmark during the March international break was further highlighted with five goals in two games.
At the end of the season, he ranked among the top 10 players in Serie A for goals scored from open play, shots on target and touches inside the opposition penalty box per 90 minutes. Such form seems likely to fast-track him onto the next step at just 20.
The attraction for United is obvious. It is not just that he fills a void up front and not just that he is a United supporter. International team-mate Philip Billing has described him as a United player. He is born for the biggest stage and has the character to steal it.