Hojlund, sent on loan to Naples after Benjamin Sesko joined United, has hit the ground running with the reigning Serie A titleholders. ..Continue Reading
United received £5.2million for the temporary deal, which includes a clause to make the move permanent for £38m if specific criteria are met.
De Bruyne, who assisted both goals, praised the striker in a post-match chat with UEFA, saying: “Rasmus has a lot of quality and as a striker when you go forward you need that smell of goals – it’s really important for him and the team.
“It’s a great night for him and it’s going to help us get more goals with him.”, reports the Manchester Evening News.
In a separate interview with Corriere dello Sport, De Bruyne said: “I was trying to get into that space for the first goal and was waiting for the right moment to pass it to Rasmus, luckily he did the rest. I think Rasmus is growing a lot and is very similar to [Erling] Haaland.”
Pressed further on the comparison, he added: “I think they are very similar because they both like to attack the depth. Maybe Hojlund comes to play the ball towards us more, but I think he needs to attack the space a lot because he can score and give us a big hand.”
Hojlund reflected on the moment, saying: “It was the night you dream of, playing in the Champions League. I celebrated touching the Napoli badge because I’m happy to play here and the Champions League badge because I love to score in Europe.
“Playing with an exceptional talent like Kevin De Bruyne is special. I just need to get into space and he’ll get me the ball.”
He later shared a playful message online: “Hojlund scores twice in the Champions League after two assists from Kevin De Bruyne was not on my 2025 bingo card.”
United had signed Hojlund from Atalanta for £72m in the summer of 2023. He scored 16 goals in all competitions during his first season, though only four came in the Premier League.
Ruben Amorim did not include Hojlund in any squad this season, leading to his deadline-day switch to Napoli.
Antonio Conte moved quickly to bring in Hojlund after Romelu Lukaku suffered an injury setback.
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