Peter Schmeichel believes Manchester United may have a rare talent in the ‘very, very special’ Rasmus Hojlund with the Denmark international scoring for a fifth straight game against Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
If there was any goal which backs up the argument that VAR has destroyed the joy of the celebration, it was this. Surely he was offside, right? Rasmus Hojlund in acres of space just yards out as he converted cooly under Emi Martinez?
Well, not quite. The angles were deceiving, at least for those of us tuning in on TV. And so – it seems – was Hojlund’s movement, drifting unnoticed behind the Aston Villa backline in a manner reminiscent of Ruud van Nistelrooy in his goal-poaching pomp.
Rasmus Hojlund scores again for Manchester United
After no goals in his first 12 Premier League games, the £64 million summer signing from Atalanta now has five in five. And while United and Denmark legend Peter Schmeichel has been taken aback somewhat by the speed of Hojlund’s ascent, he has never been in any doubt about the 21-year-old’s ability to climb the very highest peaks of the European game.
“It was only two-and-a-half years ago that he was in the Copenhagen squad,” Schmeichel recalls in conversation with talkSPORT, Hojlund going from the Parken Stadium reserves to Old Trafford in the blink of an eye.
“(Copenhagen) signed another striker and they told him to go back to the Under 19s. Sturm Graz came in for him and said ‘we’ve got to give you first team football’. He took it. And the first seven months there, nine months at Atalanta after, and now he’s at Manchester United.
“It’s gone really, really quick for him. But at no point have I been in any doubt that this lad is the real deal. He’s got everything in his locker. He poaches goals, his movement…
“I’ve seen this for a year now since he broke into the Danish team. You know when you see something which is very, very special that doesn’t come along very often? That’s what I’ve seen in him.”
Five in five now for the summer signing
Hojlund is now United’s top scorer this season with 11 goals. Scott McTominay, his closest challenger, took his tally to eight with an 86th minute winner off the bench at Villa Park, securing a potentially season-defining win which should spark Manchester United’s belated Champions League charge.