Manchester United and Denmark midfielder, Christian Eriksen, has given his two cents on the Red Devils’ incoming new striker, Rasmus Højlund, after the club reportedly reached an agreement to sign the young Dane last week.
Rasmus Winther Højlund had been one of a number of centre-forwards on Man United‘s list of transfer targets over the past few months, alongside the likes of England captain Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
However, after interest in the Premier League marksman and Serie A’s top goalscorer seems to have cooled, United stepped up their pursuit of the Atlanta striker and managed to get a deal over the line on Sunday, 30 July for an estimated fee of £72 million including add-ons.
Ahead of Højlund flying to Manchester on Tuesday afternoon to finalise his move, according to Sky Sports, his fellow compatriot and soon-to-be United teammate, Christian Eriksen, shed some light on what fans can expect from their inbound signing.
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen shares his thoughts on potential new signings Rasmus Hojland and Andre Onana 💭✍️ pic.twitter.com/y0gbo1rkQP
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 31, 2023
Eriksen shares his thoughts on what Højlund might bring to Old Trafford.
Speaking to media after Erik ten Hag and co.’s final pre-season game against Borussia Dortmund (which ended in a 3-2 defeat), the 31-year-old admitted that while he hadn’t seen much of the football he played over in Italy last season, the youngster has left a good impression on international duty.
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“He’s a strong number nine and has developed a lot in the last year from when I first saw him with the national team”, Eriksen told the likes of Simon Peach and Melissa Reddy in the post-match interviews.
Labelling him a “nice guy” and “very good player” already, the creative midfielder who arrived at Old Trafford last year said Højlund is turning into an out-and-out striker both for his national team and Atalanta, joking that many might not have heard him prior to the transfer rumours because of the lake of media attention in Denmark.
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Many supporters were also pleased to learn recently that it isn’t just his finishing ability they can look forward to (being dubbed by some as ‘the next Haaland‘) but that he always has quite the turn of pace when his legs get going — the fastest in the Atalanta squad and faster than Rashford in some instances.
How Rasmus Højlund's top speed compares to the fastest #mufc players last season:
– 𝐇ø𝐣𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐝: 𝟑𝟓.𝟗𝟕 𝐤𝐦/𝐡 – Rashford: 35.95 km/h – Dalot: 35.76 km/h – Antony: 35.29 km/h – Shaw: 34.85 km/h – Malacia: 34.76 km/h
Although many have laughed off the comparison between Højlund and Haaland — the former registering scoring 16 goals and seven assists in 41 appearances last season compared to the Norwegian’s record-breaking Premier League tally and 41 goals in the same number of games at his age — there’s clearly a lot of buzz around the soon-to-be-announced signing.
The young forward is expected to be announced imminently after apparently arriving in Manchester to sign on the dotted line, as per Fabrizio Romano, and will reportedly sign a five-year contract with an option of extending for a further year.
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If you want a better idea of the kind of player United are getting their hands on, you can watch Rasmus Højlund highlights from the 2022/23 season down below:
He might not quite be the ‘next Haaland’ but he doesn’t look half bad.
Manchester United to wear special one-off shirt for important awareness campaign
Danny Jones
Just to pre-empt any Manchester United fans fearing they’re still in total delirium the next time they see that iconic red shirt, we can confirm it isn’t just your rose-tinted glasses deceiving you – the club will be wearing a special one-off shirt with a notable difference very soon.
All eyes may now be on Wednesday, 21 May but this limited edition kit has already caught the eye of many supporters for one very obvious reason.
In case you haven’t seen it for yourselves already, Man United have confirmed that both the men’s and women’s squads will be will be wearing a slight variation on their home shirt for their next two matches as part of a special campaign for an important charitable cause.
Joining forces with their usual primary shirt sponsors Snapdragon and global health campaigners Product RED, this one-off alternative strip will be unveiled on the pitch this week.
Product Red, or simply (RED) as it will read on the jersey itself, is a worldwide charity that’s been working to fight global health crises since 2006.
(RED)’s key aim is to end the AIDS epidemic and related injustices by raising money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The organisation officially partnered with the club and Snapdragon back in January in an effort to help drive awareness and generate further backing for their work – it just so happens that teaming up with one the planet’s biggest brands and one synomyous with that colour made for the perfect collaboration.
With that in mind, putting together a one-off Man United kit with (RED) slap bang in the middle as is close to a commercial/charitable tap-in as you’re probably ever going to get.
Set to be debuted by Manchester United Women in their WSL fixutre against Arsenal this Saturday, 10 May and then again by Ruben Amorim’s side in the Premier League the following day (Sun, 11 May); plus, a select few limited edition replicas shirts will be made available for fans to purchase.
Be first in the know, Reds 👀
Get notified when our limited-edition @RED collection drops ⤵️#MUFC || @Snapdragon
It goes without saying that given the nature of the front-of-shirt sponsor swap, these will no doubt become somewhat of a special item among kit collectors from the off.
More importantly, however, the funds raised through selling these one-off Man United shirts will provide much-needed income for the non-profit and their crucial efforts.
The unveiling of the comes not long after the bedlam that ensued inside Old Trafford during the second leg against Athletic Club, in which United booked their return trip back to Bilbao for the Europa League final, leaving plenty of fans of seeing nothing but the colour red ever since.
MUWFC also sealed their spot in the Women’s Champions League next season to with an important point in the Manchester Derby this past weekend, confirming a finish above Man City this year.
Safe to say it’s been a good few days to be a (RED).
AO Arena to host huge Europa League Final fan zone after Manchester United victory
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s legendary AO Arena will once again host an almighty football fan zone later this year, welcoming in fans for the Europa League Final.
The huge venue previously hosted a Road to Victory fan zone for the Euros, and is now ready to replicate all the atmosphere and excitement of the beautiful game once again.
This time it’s in honour of Manchester United, who romped their way into the Europa League Final this evening with a spectacular 4-1 victory (7-1 on aggregate) over Athletic Club.
The Red Devils will be heading to that same team’s home stadium of San Mamés in Bilbao in Spain on 21 May 2025, and you’ll be able to watch all the action right here at home in Manchester.
The AO Arena Europa League Final Screening & Fan Zone will be presented by Red Square.
If you think that name rings a bell, you’re right: they’re the same folks behind the regular events held over at Victoria Warehouse for any big United games, and 21 May will be no different – other than being arguably their biggest date ever.
There’ll be space for thousands upon thousands of football fans who’ll be able to watch Ruben Amorim’s side potentially take home their first piece of silverware since his arrival.
If you saw the scenes at Road to Victory in the AO during Euro 2024, you’ll know how unbelievable a venue this is to watch the footy.
As the promoters have billed it: “Get ready to immerse yourself in the electrifying atmosphere of the Europa League Final, presented by Red Square.
“Join us for an unforgettable event as we bring together passionate Manchester United fans for the largest indoor fan park extravaganza ever witnessed!
“MANCHESTER UNITED head to the UEL final on Wednesday, 21st May – Secure your tickets now!”
The Europa League Final Screening & Fan Zone will be at the AO Arena on 21 May.