The hindsight patrol are now in full force with regard to Manchester United, with every departing star now looking like a ‘world-beater’ away from Old Trafford.
Every goal, every assist, every Man of the Match award is held up as a reason to mock the Red Devils, ignoring the fact that almost all of those who were sent packing had been given ample time to impress back at Old Trafford.
Take Rasmus Hojlund, for instance, a player of undoubted potential, yet one who scored just 26 times in 95 games for United in all competitions, a grim record for any striker worth their salt.
His current exploits for both Napoli and Denmark may suggest that Ruben Amorim and co were wrong to show him the exit door this summer, although the 22-year-old had ended 2024/25 with just four Premier League goals to his name.
With Omar Berrada seemingly keen to implement a two-season rule – giving new signings just two campaigns to make an impact – Hojlund was rightly shown the door this summer, with not even his recent hot streak able to change that.
Why Man Utd were right to offload Hojlund
In a dismal decade at Old Trafford, there have been few ‘wow’ moments, but Hojlund’s debut cameo may rank among them.
Somewhat forgettable now, although the sight of the £64m man terrorising the Arsenal backline in September 2023 was something to behold, having run William Saliba and Gabriel ragged in that second half.
Close to earning a penalty for his side, having also played his part in Alejandro Garnacho’s eventually disallowed ‘winner’, the new man was electric.
The sight of Casemiro grabbing him by the jersey – akin to Hojlund grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck – echoed the sentiment.
His subsequent Champions League form was also captivating, namely his brace against Galatasaray, tearing away from inside his own half before dinking the ball over the onrushing ‘keeper for his second of the night. A ‘star’ was born.
Frustratingly for all concerned, such form could not be maintained, with his December to February run in the Premier League – in which he scored in six successive games – the notable high point of his two-year stint in Manchester.
With just ten goals in all competitions last term, despite having been the only senior striking option at one stage, Hojlund had left United with no choice but to seek a centre-forward upgrade.
Having taken until Boxing Day himself to get off the mark in the league in 2023/24, the Dane has since seen Benjamin Sesko score twice in just his first seven Premier League outings, with the Slovenian superstar already beginning to find his feet.
Four goals for Napoli, alongside four goals for his country, have marked a fine start to 2025/26 for Hojlund, yet barring something drastic, the ex-Atalanta won’t be returning to the Theatre of Dreams, with the Scudetto winners holding a £38m obligation to buy as part of their loan swoop.
For all his potential, such a move simply hasn’t worked out, left now looking to be a player whose best work will come in Serie A, or at international level – sound familiar?
Man Utd have already sold another Hojlund
Two years was enough for the die to be cast on young Hojlund, with concerns mounting over the lack of faith his teammates had in him, while his errant hold-up play was also a pertinent issue, considering he won just 25% of his duels last term, as per Sofascore.
Two years was also what was afforded to a figure of the past in Romelu Lukaku, with the Belgian signed from Everton on a £75m deal in 2017, only to depart for Inter for a similar fee just two seasons later.
Of course, unlike his new Napoli teammate, Lukaku had proven himself in the Premier League before signing for United, scoring 104 goals in all competitions for West Brom and the Toffees combined, having initially been on the books at Chelsea.
While on reflection, his United record of 42 goals in 96 games looks favourable, particularly in contrast to Hojlund, Lukaku just never seemed like the right fit at Old Trafford, criticised for his “woeful and costly finishing” in 2018/19 by journalist Samuel Luckhurst.
Like his fellow left-footer, the Belgian at his best appeared to relish the chance to burst in behind a defence, having not exactly been adept at linking the play or acting as a target man.
A preoccupation with trying to improve on those latter traits led to criticism that the striker had bulked up too much, with his professionalism called into question by the likes of Gary Neville.
“My view on Romelu Lukaku is that if Manchester United are trying to set a new tone and culture through the club, which Ole is trying to do, any lack of professionalism has got to be stamped upon,” said Neville in 2019.
“He didn’t want to be here anyway.”
Swiftly cast aside by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Serie A, Lukaku’s 2019 exit to San Siro sparked an immediate change of fortunes, having scored 64 goals across the next two seasons in all competitions for the Nerazzurri.
Premier League
62
14
Champions League
6
5
Europa League
15
6
FA Cup
8
1
League Cup
4
0
Community Shield
0
0
Total
95
26
Premier League
66
28
Champions League
17
7
Europa League
n/a
n/a
FA Cup
9
6
League Cup
3
0
UEFA Super Cup
1
1
Total
96
42
A title winner in 2020/21, he was rewarded with a seismic £97.5m return to Chelsea and to Premier League football that summer, albeit with things soon turning sour as he scored just eight league goals in that second spell.
Like Hojlund – who joined United after scoring ten times in his solitary season in Bergamo – Lukaku simply looks much more at home in Italian football, notably scoring 21 goals in just 47 games on loan at Roma, alongside contributing 25 goals and assists in his first 38 games in Naples.
While considered something of a “flat-track bully” on English shores, the 32-year-old is regarded as “one of the best strikers in the world” in Italy, as noted by Luca Toni, emphasising just how he has flourished since leaving United.
Hojlund looks set to follow in his footsteps, almost quite literally, considering he was snapped up by Conte’s side this summer to cover for the injured Lukaku, emphasising how he is viewed as an able deputy to the experienced marksman.
That likeness between the pair can also be seen in the fact that Lukaku is deemed to be the most statistically similar striker to Hojlund in Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref, while the latter man is also beginning to emulate his new club colleague by shining at international level.
Lukaku, remarkably, has scored 89 goals in 124 caps for Belgium, and while Hojlund has a way to go to reach such heights, his four-goal haul across his last three World Cup qualifying games has ensured that his record now sits at 12 in 30 for Denmark.
As he is proving, and likely will continue to go on to prove, Hojlund is an elite striker. That said, much like few of a United persuasion have regretted Lukaku’s exit in recent times, there should be an acceptance that Old Trafford was just not the right environment for him to succeed.
Like Lukaku, he looks like being a machine in Italy and on the international stage – but, despite his early promise, he certainly wasn’t one for United.
