Casemiro was “pleasantly surprised” to see Rasmus Hojlund in Manchester United action for the first time, according to the Red Devils’ new striker.
The £72million signing from Atalanta replaced Anthony Martial off the bench for his debut at Arsenal on the weekend, to end a delayed start to his time at Old Trafford due to injury.
Fans spotted Brazilian midfielder Casemiro abruptly grab Hojlund by the chest shortly after he came on, saying something in his ear.
“He just said something in Spanish, ‘vamos’ or something like that,” Hojlund recounted to Tipsbladet.
CASEMIRO ON HOJLUND VIOLENCE 💪 Brazilian midfielder pulls out a move from the Roy Keane Motivational Playbook pic.twitter.com/Tua0baoLp6
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) September 3, 2023
“He was happy that I gave the team perhaps a slightly different dynamic than what you get from Martial. He's maybe a little more technically strong and looks down the gaps where I like to the fights.
“After all, he hasn't seen me play before, so he told me he was pleasantly surprised to see me play.”
Hojlund, 20, is set to win his seventh cap for Denmark this week when his country faces San Marino and Finland in Euro 2024 qualifiers.
He has revealed that United were not the only side keen on his services, with interest growing after he scored five goals in two games for Denmark in the spring.
“There was a lot of interest,” he continued. “But for me, Manchester United were always the first priority.
“The interest and many of these rumours happened when I made my breakthrough in the national team. Since then there has been a nice dialogue, and then something happens when the window opens, where it really gets going.
“I would rather keep [the clubs involved] to myself.”
