Rasmus Hojlund admits his experience with Atalanta ‘put hairs on the chest’ and that Christian Eriksen acted almost as an ‘agent’ to get the deal done with Manchester United.
The centre-forward made the record-breaking move from Bergamo to Old Trafford at a cost of €75m plus another €10m in various add-ons and performance-related bonuses.
He was presented to the supporters at the weekend and begins a new chapter of his career in the Premier League.
“It is a little more cold and cynical in Italy, but it puts hairs on the chest,” Hojlund told TV3.
“I am here now and this is where my focus is, but it was a good learning experience.”
In the space of just one year, Hojlund raised his transfer value from €17m to €85m, thanks to 10 goals and four assists in 34 competitive games for Atalanta.
The 20-year-old has six goals in six senior caps for Denmark and admits former Inter midfielder Eriksen was decisive in making the deal happen.
“Christian already welcomed me to the squad and called himself ‘Agent Christian’ in the summer, because he did his job well behind the scenes,” Hojlund told the DBU YouTube channel.
“He asked if I wanted to come and said they were really hooked on me. He explained I was an exciting player and should work on it, because they were interested in me and he saw similarities between the way Denmark and Manchester United play football.”
Hojlund began his career with Brondby and really flourished at FC Kobehavn, then made his mark in six months at Austrian side Sturm Graz after a move worth just €1.95m in January 2022.