Man United loanee Rasmus Hojlund scored twice for Napoli in their 2-1 victory over Juventus, ending his eight-game goal drought and firing Antonio Conte's side to the top of Serie A
Rasmus Hojlund celebrates during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Juventus FC.
Rasmus Hojlund ended his run of games without a goal for Napoli at the weekend
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Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund broke his eight-match goalless streak by netting twice for Napoli in their 2-1 victory over Juventus on Sunday evening. The 22-year-old joined Napoli on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer and is set to seal a permanent £38million move to Antonio Conte's side in 2026, provided the Italian side secure a Champions League place.
Despite making a promising start in Naples, Hojlund's form seemed to have taken a significant dip. The United forward had only found the back of the net four times in 13 appearances prior to Sunday night's clash.
However, his luck changed when Napoli faced Juve. After impressing in Serie A against Atalanta and Roma - bagging an assist in each match - he scored a double as Napoli leapfrogged Inter to top the table.
Hojlund's first goal came in the seventh minute, when David Neres delivered a tempting cross into the box and Hojlund slipped past his marker to steer the ball into the net. After Kenan Yildiz levelled for Juventus, Hojlund restored Napoli's lead in the 78th minute, heading the ball home from close range after Weston McKennie set it up for him.
The former Atalanta player now boasts ten goals and three assists in all competitions this season.
Hojlund's brace arrived shortly after he emphasised that a collective triumph with Napoli takes precedence over individual accolades. "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, following Napoli's victory over 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 during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Juventus FC.
Rasmus Hojlund ended his drought in front of goal
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The striker's next outing will see Napoli make the journey to Benfica for their Champions League fixture on Wednesday. Following that, they'll head to Udinese on Sunday, 14 December, before squaring off against AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana.
Reflecting on his side's triumph against Juventus, Conte heaped praise upon his squad. "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 former Tottenham and Chelsea boss 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 currently lead Serie A by a single point over Inter, having earned 31 points from 14 fixtures. AC Milan trail by three points in third place, whilst Roma occupy fourth spot, four points adrift of top position.
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