Antonio Conte has made a claim regarding Rasmus Højliund’s ‘great potential’ as he highlights the Dane’s great improvements since joining Napoli.
During Manchester United’s hectic summer transfer window, Rasmus Højlund departed the club to join Italian side Napoli on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
Højlund has joined forces with former United stars Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku to try and lead the Naples outfit to back-to-back Serie A titles.
The Danish international, who was replaced by Benjamin Šeško in Ruben Amorim’s side, has scored six and assisted two in the league since his arrival, making him the joint-sixth highest scorer.
Napoli manager Antonio Conte, who won the Premier League with Chelsea, has spoken ahead of his side’s clash with Parma regarding the ‘great potential’ of his new striker, taking a shot at the lack of good coaching he had before joining the Serie A side.
Conte takes shot at Amorim with Højlund statement
As per United In Focus, Conte said, “Rasmus is a player who has improved so much since he first arrived.
“He is 22 years old, we saw great potential in him, but inevitably these lads need to be coached by people who can improve them, teach them how to work for the team, the positioning, when to go towards the ball and when to attack the space.
“Our job is to keep improving all the players and make them better than when they first arrived,” he added.
This could be seen as a swipe at Amorim’s treatment of Højlund, as he struggled to fully tap into the 22-year-old’s potential in the way that Conte has.
Can Carrick unlock United’s potential?
Under the management of Amorim, many United stars struggled to tap into their potential, similarly to Højlund. Could Michael Carrick be the man to turn this around?
The Reds have plenty of young stars who need to be nurtured well if they are to reach the heights expected of them, such as Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro.
READ MORE: Michael Carrick an ‘admirer’ of £30m Manchester United target amid Tottenham interest
Given that Carrick will most likely operate with a 4-2-3-1 system, this will better suit some of the profiles in the United squad who struggled to find their feet under Amorim.
The likes of Mainoo and Amad will surely benefit purely because they will be playing in more familiar positions, regardless of whether Carrick can further their development.
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