Strong, untiring, and quick. Rasmus Hojlund is regarded as Serie A’s gold mine, a potentially destructive talent capable of generating enormous revenue for both Italian football and Atalanta.
Atalanta paid €17 million (£14.6 million) for the Danish striker last year after watching him play for Sturm Graz. His valuation has now risen to €100 million (£86 million), and Manchester United are interested in signing him this summer.
Because of his exceptional physical strength and speed, Hojlund is regarded as the closest replica of Erling Haaland by Italian fans.
Hojlund scored nine goals for Atalanta last season and six goals in four European qualifiers for Denmark, demonstrating the quality he can offer to any elite club.
Last season, while playing against Serie A champions Napoli, Hojlund hit a peak speed of 34.35km/h. He sprints like a steam train when he gets going and is a terrifying opponent for any defense.
Ramus Hojlund is on Man United’s radar, and could move to Old Trafford this summer
Hojlund has been compared to Erling Haaland, another Scandinavian forward.
He is the complete deal, and it is easy to see why Atalanta is seeking such an exorbitant amount to allow him to depart. United may only want to spend £60 million on Hojlund, but Atalanta wants his £86 million asking price met or he will stay put.
His departure from Serie A would be much more significant than the departures of Edin Dzeko, Romelu Lukaku, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This 20-year-old prospect is that intriguing.
Alvise Cagnazzo of Mail Sport looks at five facts about Hojlund ahead of his prospective move to the Premier League.
1. Hojlund loves local cuisine
Hojlund, like other northern Italian males, fell in love with the cuisine after arriving to Atalanta in 2022.
In Bergamo, where Atalanta is based, he is always seen in the city’s top restaurants, where he refuses to be served for free and always wants to pay for whatever he eats, particularly two traditional Bergamo dishes: casoncelli and polenta.
Casoncelli is a stuffed pasta that is popular in eastern Lombardy, however there are other regional variations. It is the most eaten and loved dish in Bergamo, and Hojlund loves it so much that he brings it with him when he returns to Denmark.
Polenta is an ancient Italian rustic cuisine made from cornmeal or other cereals that provides fuel for the muscles and warms the body in the winter.
After joining Atalanta, Hojlund discovered the benefits of polenta and now eats it as a snack after long training sessions.
If he does join United, these Italian goodies may follow him there. He has grown to appreciate local cuisine, and he may one day appreciate English fare.
2. The baby-faced assassin
Hojlund is so young and fresh-faced that during his first training sessions with Atalanta no one knew him and when he wore a bib he looked like one of the young people who attend training sessions for the first team to make up the numbers.
Since he’s been in Italy, he’s gained muscle mass and demonstrated superior physical skills to anyone his age.
He still looks like a boy facially, though, with fans often referring to him as him ‘Bocia’, a dialectal term meaning ‘young’.
Yet they are all convinced he can be Christian Vieri’s heir, a striker who took Serie A by storm in the 1990s and 2000s.
Vieri was powerful and a ruthless finisher, and Hojlund has already shown signs that he can follow in his footsteps. He may look like a boy, but once he steps on that pitch he is a match for any of the top professionals Serie A has to offer.
Hojlund still has a baby face, but when he gets on the pitch he is a force to be reckoned with
3. Hojlund chose football over swimming
Anders Hojlund, Hojlund’s father, described his son’s sporting history in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, revealing: ‘My son also practiced tennis, badminton, and, above all, swimming. He was so adept at swimming in the pool that having to stop to play football was difficult because he enjoyed both sports.’
He may have jumped into a pool before, but when it comes to football, Hojlund is a very honest player who never falls to the ground, even when hit hard by defenders.
It may be argued that he should be more devious at times in order to get the retribution he deserves for the hits he takes every game.
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini refers to Hojlund as a “rough diamond,” and his unwillingness to go down even when he is perfectly legal to do so may alter with maturity and experience.
His fault is his lack of cynicism, yet the best swimmers always give their everything underwater before raising their heads and observing the outcome, and Hojlund plays football in the same way. He has no expectations and simply decides to play till the whistle blows.
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini considers Hojlund to be a ‘rough diamond’
Hojlund is a very honest player who does not shy away from getting into physical battles
4 – Hojlund is obsessed with his physique like Cristiano Ronaldo
In an interview with Hojlund’s father Anders by Gazzetta dello Sport, it emerged how Hojlund is in love with Cristiano Ronaldo and his great athlete’s physique.
‘One day he took me aside and said he would imitate him in everything. Not just on the pitch,’ Anders said of his son’s desperation to follow Ronaldo’s example.
‘After two days I find him there, on the floor, doing abs and push-ups. Sometimes we told him to let it go, but he didn’t, he continued.’
In Bergamo, the most muscular player has always been striker Duvan Zapata, followed by defender Rafael Toloi, but Hojlund can certainly go past them thanks to his extraordinary speed and resistance.
On the pitch, according to Serie A data, he covers about 9km every 90 minutes, impressive numbers for a striker in the Italian league.
Hojlund admires Cristiano Ronaldo’s physique, and wants to imitate the Portuguese star
5. Hojlund loves the No 17
Hojlund is a superstitious person who has always desired to wear the No. 9 shirt.
He has, however, rarely gotten his wish, and when he arrived at Atalanta, Luis Muriel already had that number. Hojlund has previously worn the numbers 28, 45, and 17, the latter of which has become his lucky number.
The number 17 was worn by Napoli legend Marek Hansik and David Trezeguet, who scored over 150 goals for Juventus.
Hojlund idolizes all of the great players of the past and has now adopted the No. 17 jersey.
Midfielder Fred presently wears that shirt for United, but he has been linked with a move elsewhere this summer. If he quits and Hojlund joins, he should have little trouble deciding which jersey to wear.
Hojlund is very superstitious and has made the No 17 his own in recent years
