We used to pull Hojlund out of training for. . . fighting!
United’s scoring sensation has always had a temper... but now he’s flying after heart to heart with Van Persie
AT RASMUS Hojlund’s family home in the Danish town of Horsholm, a handwritten note for a class project at Vallerod Skolen when he was 10 years old is framed on the wall.
At No 5 on a list of lifetime ambitions, Hojlund scrawled: ‘My goal is to play for the Danish national team and for Manchester United.’ Within a decade, he had already done both.
Hojlund’s story is one of a young man fiercely driven to achieve his goals, declaring on his arrival at United last summer that he wanted to ‘become a world-class striker as soon as possible’.
Long before he honed the technical skills that would turn him into one of Europe’s hottest young centre forwards, he was displaying the mental strength that has helped to transform his career at Old Trafford.
The first of Hojlund’s two goals in United’s 2-1 win at Luton after just 37 seconds made him the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six games in a row, eclipsing Manchester’s other resident Scandinavian star, Erling Haaland.
That’s seven in six league games for Hojlund now. Eight in eight in all competitions. Quite the turnaround for a player whose first 14 league appearances for United drew a blank in goals and assists.
It raised doubts over the wisdom of United paying £72million for Hojlund last summer, the year after he joined Sturm Graz from his hometown team FC Copenhagen for £1.5m before moving to Atalanta for £15m.
There was concern over installing Hojlund as United’s main striker at the age of 20. It was an immense burden to place on such young shoulders, even more so after his medical showed the early signs of a small back fracture that delayed his debut.
Those who knew Hojlund as he grew up in Horsholm, north of Copenhagen, aren’t surprised by his ability to thrive in the face of adversity. ‘It wasn’t his technical side, it was the mental side,’ says Morten Corlin, Hojlund’s youth coach at Brondby who had to pull the teenager out of training more than once for fighting. ‘He was always at his best when we were at our worst; when we were in trouble or had a man sent off.’
Christian Mouroux witnessed the same traits when he coached Hojlund at his boyhood club Horsholm Usserod Idraetsklub.
‘Rasmus is someone who really relished a challenge, he grows every time you put him into deep waters,’ says Mouroux.
There is only admiration in Denmark for Hojlund’s willingness to leave Copenhagen in his teens to experience a different country and culture in Austria and Italy, before making United his fourth club in less than two years.
It proved to be another level entirely though. United are a club with the capacity to chew up and spit out bigger names than Hojlund. ‘If the striker at Man Utd isn’t scoring, there’s more pressure on him than normal,’ Ron Atkinson told Mail Sport yesterday. Garry Birtles, Peter Davenport and Alan Brazil were among the strikers who wilted under Atkinson at Old Trafford in the 80s before United turned to Alex Ferguson. ‘Say for argument’s sake if it was Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa,’ Atkinson continues. ‘He could go a few games without scoring and there wouldn’t be that big an issue made of it. There is more spotlight at United but Hojlund looks full of life. It’s all forgotten now. He’s on fire.’
Since Ferguson retired, United have gone for experience over youth: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Radamel Falcao and Edinson Cavani are among the strikers who have enjoyed varying degrees of success. Signing Hojlund, who only turned 21 earlier this month, signalled a change in policy. For the first half of the season, it was a move that looked to have backfired despite his five Champions League goals.
He struggled in a team low on form and hit by injuries. Service to the new striker was meagre. After United lost their last match before Christmas at West Ham and Hojlund was hooked in the 57th minute, it emerged that wingers Antony and Alejandro Garnacho were averaging less than one pass a game to their new team-mate in the league. Club insiders say that Hojlund’s confidence never wavered. They describe a level-headed, mature young man who is comfortable mixing with the academy kids at Carrington without any airs and graces, or supporters when representing the club at the Manchesterplatz memorial after United played in Munich in September. Typically, Hojlund has risen to the challenge facing him. When he scored in the Premier League for the first time to seal a 3-2 win over Aston Villa on St Stephen’s Day and launched into a tearful celebration, it was the start of a remarkable turnaround for Hojlund and United. His eight goals have coincided with a run of seven wins in nine games. The sole defeat at Nottingham Forest is the only one he has missed. ‘I never doubted myself but of course you can be a bit down when you don’t score,’ he said after his double at Luton.
His clinical finishes were in stark contrast to the snatched attempt just yards in front of goal when the two teams met at Old Trafford in November and his Premier League barren run showed no signs of ending. But there was so much more to admire about his performance on Sunday. The way he held up the ball, linked up play and used his 6ft 3in frame to bully defenders. He is at peak fitness after that delayed start and able to run relentlessly.
‘Hojlund looked like a Haaland in the making: that power, that strength and aggression in his running,’ former United favourite Gary Neville said on Sky Sports. ‘I’ve always liked that about a United centre forward.’
There is no doubt that Hojlund is benefitting from a more settled side now — and better service. Antony was dropped after the West Ham defeat and has started one of the last seven in the league, with Marcus Rashford and Garnacho preferred on the wings.
His dedication to training is as great as it ever was when he spent endless hours in all weathers out on the pitches of Horsholm.
He has listened to Erik ten Hag’s staff, particularly forwards coach Benni McCarthy, and requested a one-to-one chat for half an hour with Robin van Persie to pick the brains of the former United striker when he visited Carrington as part of his UEFA Pro Licence earlier this month.
Hojlund is said to be dedicated to his recovery after games, putting in long hours at the training ground. He has fitted in well there with the different groups within the squad, but remains particularly close to fellow Scandinavians Christian Eriksen — described as a big brother figure — and Victor Lindelof.
Not that it stops him from expressing his emotions on the pitch. ‘I’m not afraid to say what I mean. I like to show character,’ said Hojlund, who avoids social media because ‘when you’re in a bad period it’s going to be hate most of the time’.
Strong family support has helped too. At least one of his parents, dad Anders and mum Kirsten, watch every game from the stands, and he can also turn to his childhood sweetheart Laura Rhod Sondergaard after they set up home together in Cheshire. ‘She moved in during the winter. She gives me stability,’ he said.
United are reaping the benefits. The young man who arrived in Manchester last summer full of ambition to be world-class is well on his way.
DAN ASHWORTH has moved a step closer to becoming Manchester United’s new director of football after Newcastle confirmed that he has been placed on gardening leave. The two clubs still have to agree a compensation figure, but Newcastle’s chief executive Darren Eales said: ‘We are naturally disappointed that Dan has chosen to leave.’ Meanwhile, United’s set-piece coach Eric Ramsay, 32, is a target for Minnesota United to become the youngest full-time coach in MLS history.