Rasmus Højlund is his biggest critic—although plenty of people have tried to take that title away from him.
The 22-year-old did not ask to be relentlessly compared to Erling Haaland—in fact, quite the opposite. He didn’t demand his arrival at Manchester United cost an eye-watering £72 million ($97.2 million) and he didn’t purposefully time his spell at Old Trafford to coincide with a historic collective nadir.
Yet he accepted this baggage and ploughed forward regardless. As he was keen to point out, some success came from this approach.
“It was a lot of attention and a lot of pressure, obviously,” Højlund tells Sports Illustrated when reflecting on his blockbuster Premier League move. “But I feel like it was hard for me not to take that step as I was a United fan. And I feel like I did well.”
Højlund was only 20 when he signed for Manchester United in 2023 after spending a single season in Serie A with Atalanta. The product of FC Copenhagen’s prolific academy had only spent six months skirting around the first team before he had been whisked away to Austria at Sturm Graz. The concussive rise from reserve to United’s new starting striker was understandably described by the Dane as “a little bit surrealistic” at the time.
Having been given time to reflect on that whirlwind stage of a career which is still very much in its infancy, Napoli’s current frontman stood by his decisions. “You could argue I probably needed a year or whatever, but I feel like it was the right step for me,” he says. “And like I said, I think I did well in my first year, especially, where I became top scorer and in the team and had a good campaign in the Champions League and so on, and won a trophy with the guys.”
A painfully slow start to life in the Premier League—Højlund would not score his first top-flight goal until Boxing Day—was balanced by a prolific Champions League burst. Across the group stage of the 2023–24 campaign, no one could better his tally of five goals in six games. Højlund would also come off the bench in the second half of the 2024 FA Cup final which United surprisingly won at the expensive of their local rivals Manchester City.
“The pressure is big and and you learn from that,” Højlund sagely reflects. “You take that, you put that in your bag. And you just learn from it, get more used to it and grow with it.”
Hojlund’s First Season at Old Trafford
| Statistic (All Comps) | Højlund Value | Squad Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 43 | =5th |
| Starts | 35 | =5th |
| Goals | 16 | 1st |
| Total Shots | 57 | 6th |
| Assists | 2 | =9th |
Stats via FBref.
Affection for Man Utd Remains
Højlund is keen to stress his commitment to Napoli, the club which are obligated to trigger a buy clause worth around £38 million should they qualify for the Champions League this season. Yet, he remains technically a Manchester United player and retains an affection for those at Old Trafford.
“All of them are more or less my friends,” he says. “So obviously I’m still watching them and wishing them good luck every time they play.”
Despite the extravagant outlay on a completely new-look frontline in Højlund’s absence, United have not fared nearly as well as their departed No. 9. The Dane has already surpassed his Premier League goal tally from his final campaign at Old Trafford and is spearheading Napoli’s thrilling defence of their Serie A crown. United, by comparison, are still riddled with inconsistencies epitomised by Šeško’s struggles to adapt.
Proving the Doubters Wrong Starts From Within
Rasmus Højlund leads the way for goals among all Manchester United-owned players this season. pic.twitter.com/kEc9zSpfzc
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) December 28, 2025
Højlund is forever striving for self-improvement—which is helpful under a manager like Antonio Conte who demands nothing less. Yet, he is chiefly interested in satisfying himself before any external critics.
“I think proving it for yourself it’s the most important one,” he says, “because if you prove it to yourself, I think you prove it to the rest of the world as well, because I got very high expectations for myself.
“I like to put the bar high, because then you push yourself as much as possible. Whereas if you reach a goal, like, let’s just say early in the season ... then you would probably automatically lean back. Whereas if you focus in on I’m not saying the impossible but like try to hit, almost impossible...”
This quest for success extends beyond the pitch. “It can be goals or development in your overall play or it can be learning Italian or whatever,” Højlund explains. “Just focusing on personal development.” Since leaving United, the striker’s growth has been staggering. However, as he pointed out, he had some strong foundations to build from.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rasmus Hojlund Hits Back at Critics With Strong Defence of Man Utd Record.
