Napoli boss Antonio Conte has revealed three improvements Rasmus Højlund has made since joining the club on loan from Manchester United.
Manchester United were open to Rasmus Højlund leaving the club this summer after completing the signing of Benjamin Šeško.
The Danish striker, who arrived at Old Trafford for a hefty fee two years earlier, suffered a difficult 2024/25 campaign and finished the season low on confidence.
Napoli moved to secure his services on an initial loan, with an obligation to buy included if certain conditions are met next summer.
Højlund has scored seven goals in all competitions so far this season in 19 appearances. The spell so far has been mostly positive for the Danish international.
Conte reveals improvements Højlund has made since United exit
Antonio Conte is a manager who regularly improves the levels of his strikers and it appears that Højlund is making progress under him in Italy.
While it is clear that the competitive level is lower than the Premier League, the ex-Chelsea boss has explained how the United loanee is improving different aspects of his game.
“Hojlund is a player who is very young, he’s still only 22 years old, and can improve a great deal,” Conte told journalists this week.
“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.”
Conte added: “He is really well connected with the team. 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.”
Everyone wins in Højlund move
Højlund’s move to Napoli becoming permanent depends on the Serie A club qualifying for the Champions League next season.
With Conte’s side currently third in the league and just two points away from AC Milan in top spot, it seems likely that the obligation clause will be triggered.
Read More: “Unreal” Man Utd loanee would be welcomed back “with open arms” after impressing this season
For United, it will be useful to get some extra cash for a player who was clearly not good enough for the team and Højlund also benefits from playing in a lower league under a top coach.
He remains a young player with a lot of room to grow and improve, and he could easily become a top striker in the coming years, but it will probably not happen at Old Trafford.
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