Rasmus Hojlund was in action for Napoli on Wednesday night against Chelsea, with the Italian side seeing their Champions League campaign come to a crushing end.
Things looked so positive at half-time for Napoli, with a 2-1 lead over Chelsea, which would have earned a play-off spot.
However, a second-half comeback with Joao Pedro scoring twice means Rasmus Hojlund and Napoli are out with the 3-2 defeat, the fatal blow, as they finished a meagre 30th in the league phase.
Hojlund scored for Napoli in the game with a true striker’s goal as he made an excellent run onto the end of a low cross before firing it into the goal.
On the other hand, Hojlund’s fellow Manchester United loanee, Marcus Rashford, qualified with Barcelona. But after Napoli’s loss, the Italian press have been reacting.
Did Manchester United make a mistake sending Rasmus Hojlund on loan?
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Rasmus Hojlund escapes criticism after Napoli Champions League failure
Hojlund left the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday night with his head held high, and the Italian media reviewed him as such.
Rasmus Hojlund in action for Napoli.
Photo by Carl Recine – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Italian outlet, La Repubblica, handed Hojlund a seven out of 10 match rating, explaining that the Dane bids farewell to the Champions League with a “goal worthy of a true centre-forward”, adding, he “fights with all the strength he has left.”
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In a second article on the game from La Repubblica, Hojlund was described as a “predator” and “true poacher” in the box for his ability to get on the end of the cross and finish.
Differently, Gazzetta dello Sport only gave Hojlund a six out of 10, but offered sympathy to the striker.
The report described Hojlund as being “un leone in gabbia”, which translates to ‘a lion in a cage’, explaining that while the forward is excellent physically and in positioning, but was abandoned by his team, who let him become isolated.
Antonio Conte caught criticism for his over-reliance on Hojlund as the focal point, which just resulted in the Dane fighting all game long for a sniff of the ball, which is a familiar sight for United fans.
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Split image of Marcus Rashford in Barcelona jacket looking to the side and Harry Amass in Sheffield Wednesday kit looking to the side.
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How many goals has Rasmus Hojlund scored on loan from Manchester United?
Hojlund joined Napoli in the summer on a loan which included the £44m obligation to buy in the event the reigning Scudetto champions qualify for the Champions League.
Despite highs and lows, Hojlund has impressed in Naples, and this continued with a good goal against Chelsea.
This was Hojlund’s 10th goal of the season, with it being number three in the Champions League, as he also has three assists.
Before scoring against Chelsea, Hojlund was on one of his goal droughts, but he has snapped this streak now and will hope to kick one to finish the season well.
Conte is a fan of Hojlund, believing he is coaching him into being a star striker, and it looks fairly certain that the buy option will be taken.
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