One of Manchester United’s loanees has been branded as “the hero” after netting two goals to help his side to a 3-2 win.
Jonny Evans started the season as Manchester United’s Loan Manager and oversaw several exciting loan moves for some of United’s young stars – Radek Vitek’s loan to Bristol City will be considered one of the best.
However, Evans left the club before returning as a coach under Darren Fletcher and now Michael Carrick, after Rúben Amorim’s sacking. This left Jason Wilcox and the transfer team in charge of loan moves for the January window.
Jacob Devaney and James Scanlon were two players who moved on loan, and both have scored since their transfers were confirmed. Devaney impressed on his St. Mirren debut against Hearts, before netting in the cup, while Scanlon scored an excellent goal on his Swindon Town debut.
However, Wilcox would’ve also overseen some loan moves in the summer transfer window. He would’ve been at the heart of Andre Onana’s switch to Trabzonspor, Marcus Rashford’s move to Barcelona and Rasmus Hojlund’s transfer to Napoli.
Hojlund branded as “hero”
Hojlund joined Napoli as a backup to Romelu Lukaku under Antonio Conte, but with the Belgian out injured, Hojlund has taken the starting spot, impressing with 12 goals and two assists in 30 games – more than he managed in 52 United appearances last season.
In their last Serie A match against Genoa, Hojlund was branded as “the hero” as he played a crucial role in Napoli’s 3-2 win, despite going 1-0 down after just three minutes.
Hojlund drew the game level after 20 minutes, pouncing on a loose ball following a shot from Scott McTominay. United’s former midfielder scored two minutes later, despite struggling with a tendon problem for most of the season.
Genoa drew the game level in the 57th minute, and Napoli went down to 10 men 20 minutes later. Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa side sits just above the relegation zone, so a win was crucial for Napoli.
Up stepped Hojlund to save the day. He converted a penalty in the 95th minute to clinch victory from a difficult away game, keeping Napoli’s title hopes alive. They are six points behind first-place Inter Milan and one behind second-place AC Milan.
United made the right call with Hojlund
Hojlund’s United fate was sealed when he was an unused substitute in United’s final pre-season match against Fiorentina, especially considering Benjamin Šeško was unveiled before the start of the game.
Some called for Hojlund to remain at Old Trafford this season, competing with Šeško, but it seems United have made the right call for both the player and the club.
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Hojlund looks like the player United first signed back in Italy. He appears to be enjoying his football much more and is closer to achieving his potential. United have also benefited from not having the young Dane at the club.
With Bryan Mbeumo playing through the middle, Hojlund would be third or even fourth choice centre forward behind Šeško and Joshua Zirkzee. This would only devalue the striker for United’s summer sale.
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