Ruben Amorim decided to send Rasmus Hojlund on loan to Napoli because he wanted Benjamin Sesko to be United’s main striker, but De Bruyne has been impressed by Hojlund
Kevin De Bruyne compared Rasmus Hojlund to Erling Haaland after the Manchester United loanee’s brace helped Napoli secure a 2-1 victory over Sporting in the Champions League.
Hojlund, who was shipped out on loan to Naples following the arrival of Benjamin Sesko at Old Trafford, has made an impressive start with the Serie A champions
The Red Devils pocketed a tidy £5.2million loan fee for the striker, with the deal to become permanent for £38m, if certain conditions are met.
Manchester City legend De Bruyne, who set up both of Hojlund’s goals, heaped praise on the forward in a post-match interview 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.
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Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, De Bruyne added: “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.”
The midfielder was pressed about that comparison, and said: “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 himself said: “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.”
The striker then posted a cheeky message on social media: “Hojlund scores twice in the Champions League after two assists from Kevin De Bruyne was not on my 2025 bingo card.”
United splashed out £72m to bring Hojlund from Atalanta during the summer of 2023. The promising forward netted 16 times across all competitions during his debut campaign, though he managed a mere four Premier League strikes last term.
Amorim failed to include Hojlund in any matchday squad this season and he departed for Napoli on transfer deadline day. Napoli manager Antonio Conte swooped for Hojlund following an injury blow to ex-United frontman Romelu Lukaku.
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