Man Utd told exactly what they’ll get from Rasmus Hojlund in Erling Haaland comparison

Manchester United are waiting to see what £72million signing Rasmus Hojlund can offer their side – and a former opponent of the young striker has given a glowing review

Manchester United have been told they may have signed the next Erling Haaland in Rasmus Hojlund.

United turned heads when they agreed to pay Atalanta £72million for the 20-year-old striker. He was unveiled at Old Trafford on Saturday before the 3-1 friendly win over Lens, but will not be available to play for some time due an injury.

Hojlund joins United with a relatively small amount of experience behind him, having played just one season with Atalanta following a move from Austrian side Sturm Graz. He scored 10 goals in 34 games for Atalanta last season and has six goals in six games for Denmark, but remains a bit of an unknown quantity.

When he recovers from his injury, United fans are in for a treat, according to Austrian defender Raffael Behounek, who has compared him to Manchester City goal machine Haaland. Behounek went up against Hojlund while playing for WSG Tirol against Sturm Graz in a 2-2 draw in February 2022 and was hugely impressed by what he saw.

“I played against Haaland during my first-ever match in the Austrian Bundesliga,” he said. “He wasn’t so ­special that day but still ­managed to score a penalty. Then he went crazy. Hojlund is a ­little bit like ­Haaland, I think. There are big similarities.”

Despite his youth, Hojlund doesn’t mind the comparison to a player three years his elder. He said: “Haaland is fast. I am also fast. He is left-footed. I am also left-footed. He is strong and I am strong, too.”