Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund scored five goals in two appearances during the international break: here’s what you may not know about the rising Denmark talent who may be the next big thing in Serie A.

When Atalanta announced Hojlund’s signature for €17m last summer, many already knew the talented 19-year-old, who had already earned comparisons with Erling Haaland during his spell at Strum Graz, could have soon become one of the most exciting talents in Serie A.

Not only because of the quality of the player, who turned 20 this past February but also knowing Atalanta’s ability to spot the best talents across Europe before anyone else. The question was: how long would it take for him to impose himself in Serie A? In all fairness, We didn’t have to wait long to know.

With eight goals in 25 appearances across all competitions this season, Hojlund is the second-best scorer in Bergamo, behind Ademola Lookman, another smart summer signing completed by new Atalanta director Lee Congerton.

Hojlund’s convincing performances in Serie A were followed by a remarkable international break with Denmark, which saw Hojlund score five goals in two games against Finland and Kazakhstan.

But who is Hojlund and why has he already been compared to Haaland?

Hojlund’s father Anders was a football player for Copenhagen in the 90s and his younger twin brothers Emil and Oscar, born in 2005, play in the youth sector of the Danish club.

The Atalanta striker began his career at Hørsholm-Usserød Idrætsforening, before moving to Brondy’s academy, Holbaek and finally Copenhagen, where he made his senior debut on October 25, 2020, in a 1-0 win over Aarhus in Denmark’s Superligaen.

Less than two years later, in January 2022, he would move to Austria, joining Strum Graz, where he scored 12 goals in 21 appearances, including one in the Champions League play-offs against Dynamo Kyiv this past August. Just a couple of weeks after his first and only goal in Europe’s elite competition, Hojlund was already in Zingonia, training under Gian Piero Gasperini who soon gave him a starting spot in his 3-4-1-2 formation.

The Italian tactician was one of those comparing his starlet to the Man City ace, specifically after seeing Hojlund score in a 2-0 win over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in February.

“Hojlund has this spirit, energy, intensity, but also the technical quality that is just remarkable. He still has so much margin for improvement, too,” said Gasp.

“He has very similar characteristics to Haaland, not just his face. He is so quick, he’s under 11 seconds over 100m and that’s not even trying very hard. Considering his height, he has a low centre of gravity and can move his legs very fast. I am convinced he’ll have a great career, he just gets stronger every day.”

Less than a month earlier, Gasperini had praised Congerton for the purchase of Hojlund, during a press conference attended by Football Italia.

“He [ Congerton] was quick for Højlund, the club made an important investment in this lad. The club bought these two players who have been helping me work well,” said the coach.

Hojlund is under contract at the Gewiss Stadium until June 2027, but his impressive performances for club and country have increased transfer speculations lately. Italian paper La Repubblica has recently reported that Arsenal and Real Madrid are scouting the 20-year-old, but Manchester United and Napoli have also been linked with a move for the Nerazzurri wonderkid, one of the potential heirs of Victor Osimhen’s reign at the Stadio Maradona.

According to DAZN, the Red Devils had been scouting Hojlund, even before his move to Atalanta last summer, but eventually put no offer on the table and the same goes for Chelsea, Milan and also Real Madrid.

On paper, the Red Devils would be a pleasing option for the talented striker who admitted to being a Man United fan in January.

“Now that you ask, I will not hide the fact that I am a huge Manchester United fan,” he said as quoted by MEN.

“So personally, it would be one of the biggest things for me, but of course, that doesn’t mean that I would turn down other big clubs if the offers come at some point.”

Atalanta already know they won’t lack offers for their emerging talent at the end of the season but it remains to be seen if they will sell the striker after just one season at the club.

“More than a gamble, Hojlund is a great investment that the club very much wants,” Atalanta director Tony D’Amico said in January. “Few players from 2003 have this amount of playing time in Italy. He has great room for improvement and, with Gasperini, he can become very strong.”

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