MU made a mistake with Hojlund.

Rasmus Hojlund's brace against Cremonese in Serie A's 17th round on December 28th gave him another convincing night in a Napoli shirt.

Rasmus Hojlund has been outstanding in a Napoli shirt.

When goals started coming regularly, the old question resurfaced in an unavoidable way: Was Hojlund once a "problem" for Manchester United, or was he simply a victim of an unsuitable system?

Hojlund arrived at the place where he belonged.

The match on the evening of December 28th between Cremonese and Napoli not only ended with a victory for the away team, but also marked Hojlund's second brace of the season, in a game where the Danish striker continued to demonstrate his core role: appearing at the right time and finishing neatly.

Hojlund doesn't score with fancy dribbling or showy solo runs. He scores with movement. By reading the game. By waiting for the right moment.

Against Cremonese, Napoli controlled the game, maintained constant pressure, and created enough chances in dangerous areas. What they provided Hojlund wasn't cheers, but the ball in the right place. The rest, the striker did on his own.

Those two goals weren't the product of a spontaneous performance. They were the result of a smoothly functioning system. Napoli played patiently, stretching the opponent's defense with a steady flow of the ball.

Rasmus Hojlund has arrived at the place where he belongs.

When Cremonese dropped deep, small spaces appeared. And Hojlund, as a true center forward should do, exploited them with simple yet effective touches.

Ten goals and assists in 11 games isn't exactly sensational, but in the context of Serie A, it's a consistent and reliable performance.

More importantly, it shows that Hojlund is in the right place. At Napoli, he doesn't have to carry the entire attacking system. Hojlund is the final piece in the attacking sequence, not the sole reliance on any goalscoring hopes.

The contrast at MU

This contrasts sharply with his time at Manchester United. At Old Trafford, Hojlund frequently played in isolation. The ball was scarce. Support was limited. The pressure to score never diminished.

A young striker, lacking experience and mental maturity, would find it difficult to develop in such a context. What happened then did not fully reflect Hojlund's abilities, but rather the imbalance of the entire system.

Rasmus Hojlund doesn't face too much pressure at Napoli.

Napoli is different. They're not in a hurry to make demands. They understand that a striker needs to be served, not just judged by the number of goals scored.

Hojlund is allowed to miss chances. Allowed to make runs without the ball. Allowed to learn how to survive in games where he doesn't score. That's the environment a young striker needs to build confidence and a sustainable goal-scoring habit.

Hojlund's brace against Cremonese didn't turn him into a big star overnight. But it reinforced the most important message: when given the right support, he knows how to score. The problem was never his finishing instinct; the problem was always the conditions under which that instinct could be activated.

Top-level football doesn't judge players solely by statistics. It judges them by context. By their role. By how a player is used.

Hojlund is benefiting from that situation in Naples. And each goal, like the one against Cremonese, brings back the old story from Manchester, not to criticize, but to shed more light on the root of the problem.

In Naples, Hojlund is doing the simplest, yet most difficult, thing a striker can do: scoring regularly and progressing. As for the old labels, perhaps it's time they were put back in their proper place.

Source: https://znews.vn/mu-da-sai-voi-hojlund-post1614934.html