Rasmus Hojlund Surpasses Man Utd Milestone in Less Than 1,000 Minutes
In the space of just 928 Serie A minutes, Rasmus Højlund has surpassed his goal tally from across the entire 2024–25 Premier League campaign for Manchester United, extending his fine form with a brace for Napoli on Sunday.
Everything has been bouncing Højlund’s way of late—quite literally at times. The Dane found the ball drop to his unguarded feet twice in the first half of Napoli’s trip to Cremona this weekend, sitting up just right for a pair of first-time finishes which secured his side’s third successive victory.
Højlund boasts six goals from 12 Serie A games this term, compared to four in 32 top-flight appearances for United. After a protracted summer exit from Old Trafford—which remains a loan deal that is only guaranteed to become permanent if Napoli qualify for the Champions League—the 22-year-old scored 14 minutes into his debut for the reigning Italian title holders.
Højlund’s Transformed Form
Rasmus Højlund leads the way for goals among all Manchester United-owned players this season. pic.twitter.com/kEc9zSpfzc
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) December 28, 2025
Statistic (League Only) | 2024–25 Man Utd | 2025–26 Napoli |
|---|---|---|
Appearances | 32 | 12 |
Minutes | 2,004 | 928 |
Goals | 4 | 6 |
Expected Goals (xG) per 90 | 0.24 | 0.44 |
Shots per 90 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
Shots on Target per 90 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
Touches in Pen. Box per 90 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
It hasn’t been a campaign without its difficulties—Højlund went eight games and almost two months between goals in autumn—but there has been a general sense of lightness to the rejuvenated striker.
Højlund’s frequency of shots and exposure to the ball at the sharp end of the pitch hasn’t been dramatically transformed—midfielder Scott McTominay has fired off twice as many efforts as his ex-Manchester United teammate this term—but the quality of these openings has exploded, as is evident by his almost doubled expected goals (xG) ratio.
As much as the curse of Manchester United makes for an easy narrative, Højlund’s transformation is more down to the genius of Antonio Conte.
Conte: ‘Dominant’ Hojlund Still Has Room for Improvement
Conte’s idiosyncratic system demands a very specific skillset from his striker. Operating effectively as an attacking fulcrum, around which the rest of the frontline pivots, the his No. 9s routinely play a crucial role in the early buildup of a move, baiting the opponents into a press, before spearing forward in a series of artificial transitions. Højlund blend of strength and speed are perfect for such demands.
“He is really well connected with the team,” Conte gushed after Højlund’s latest brace. “In my style of football, the strikers have a very important and special role in the overall approach, and he has huge margin for further improvement.”
That eternal quest for betterment was underscored by the demanding Napoli boss.
“Højlund is a player who is very young, he’s still only 22 years old, and can improve a great deal,” Conte demanded. “Since he first joined us, he has already progressed to become a dominant player in that role, because he’s starting to understand the right positions to take, how to defend the ball, when to come towards it or back off.”
Should Højlund meet Conte’s lofty demands and plough forward in his development, there won’t be many Manchester United milestones left unbroken by the end of the campaign.
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