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Rasmus Hojlund has demanded a first-team role at Manchester United next season and may leave for Italy if one is not guaranteed, according to reports.
Hojlund played 52 times for the Red Devils over the course of a disastrous campaign, although his status as an undisputed starter said more about Ruben Amorim’s squad depth than the Danish striker’s performances.
The 22-year-old struggled horribly in front of goal, scoring only four times in the Premier League, although did finish up in double figures in all competitions due to a productive Europa League run.
It’s therefore no surprise that the Red Devils are looking intently for a new centre-forward, and this has not been lost on Hojlund and his entourage.
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport report ESPN’s claim that the striker’s representatives have met with United’s executives “making it clear that the boy wants to play and be a protagonist.”
The outcome of that meeting is not given, but given the club’s transfer dealings and plans it would have been extremely disingenuous to suggest he would be the focal point of Amorim’s attack once again.
The report covers Hojlund’s main potential exit route, a return to Serie A to join Inter Milan, but there is a catch.
United are looking to recoup as much money as they can this summer to reinvest in the squad as Amorim looks to mould it in his image.
Therefore permanent sales will be much preferred to loan deals, and it is precisely the latter arrangement being pushed by the Italian giants.
The report explains that a return to Italy would be “welcome” for Hojlund, although making one happen would be accelerated by United “accepting the idea of the loan wanted by the Nerazzurri.”
The Red Devils will doubtless want to have the Dane’s replacement sorted before sanctioning any kind of exit, and although the transfer merry-go-round has started turning there is currently no movement for a new centre-forward.
Attacking midfielder Matheus Cunha has already come through the door at Old Trafford, but the club’s pursuit of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres seems to have hit the rocks.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
