Rasmus Hojlund stole the show for Napoli as the Manchester United forward fired home a brace in a 2-1 win against Juventus in Serie A on Sunday
Rasmus Hojlund celebrates after scoring for Napoli against Juventus
Rasmus Hojlund celebrates after scoring for Napoli against Juventus
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Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund ended his eight-game goal drought as he scored TWICE for Napoli during their 2-1 win against Juventus on Sunday night.
Hojlund, 22, joined Napoli on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer. The Dane is set to sign for Antonio Conte's side in a £38million permanent deal in 2026, should the Italian club secure a Champions League spot.
Having made a fast start to life in Naples, Hojlund's form looked to have endured a drastic drop off. Indeed, the United man had scored just four times in 13 appearances going into the game against Juventus.
That included a run of no goal in eight, but Hojlund's fortunes changed when Napoli took on Juve. After producing a couple of impressive performances in Serie A to help his side beat Atalanta and Roma - grabbing an assist in each - he netted a brace as Napoli moved above Inter Milan and to the top of the table.
Hojlund's first came in the seventh minute. David Neres whipped an inviting cross into the box and Hojlund escaped past his marker before guiding the ball into the back of the net.
After Kenan Yildiz had equalised for Juventus, Hojlund put Napoli back in front in the 78th minute. He headed the ball home from close range after Weston McKennie knocked it into his path. The ex-Atalanta man now has 10 goals and three assists in all competitions this season.
Hojlund's double came just a week after he made it clear that team success with Napoli is his top priority. "Obviously, I'd like to score a lot of goals again and start doing so soon, but it's important to always contribute to the team, and I'm happy to help," he said, after Napoli beat Roma last Sunday.
"I try my best to be useful. I consider myself a - myself a team player: winning is more important than scoring goals."
Rasmus Hojlund scored a brace for Napoli against Juventus
Rasmus Hojlund scored a brace for Napoli against Juventus
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Hojlund is next in action when Napoli travel to Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday. They then make the trip to Udinese on Sunday, December 14 before facing AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana.
Speaking after his side's win against Juventus, Conte was full of praise for his team. "The players deserve all the compliments, we can only thank them as in a moment of extreme difficulty and with so few available, we are doing incredible things," the ex-Tottenham and Chelsea manager told DAZN.
"Everyone who plays steps up with great character and sense of responsibility. These lads have improved so much in that sense, and it fills me with pride, because they felt what we are doing, understood the difficulty of the moment, and gave remarkable responses."
Napoli sit one point above Inter at the top of Serie A, after pocking up 31 points from 14 matches. AC Milan are three points behind Conte's side in third, while Roma are fourth and four points off the summit.