Manchester United have signed Atalanta ahead Rasmus Højlund for an preliminary price of €75 million ($82m), with every other €10m in add-ons.

The 20-year-old has been likened in taste to Manchester Town goal-machine Erling Haaland, however is the Denmark global the rest like his unutilized membership rival? And the way has he risen to consideration so briefly?

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The place has he come from?

Having come throughout the FC Copenhagen academy, Højlund made his first-team debut on the while of 17 in October 2020. Regardless of construction a name as a high-scoring ahead for the U19s and impressing with the Denmark adolescence facets, {the teenager} struggled to put together an quick influence at first-team degree.

Throughout two seasons, Højlund began simply two league video games for Copenhagen and from a complete of nineteen appearances he netted incorrect targets — despite the fact that he did to find the web 5 occasions within the Europa Convention League.

He moved to Austrian facet Sturm Graz for a minute price of €1.95m in January 2022, however they wasted incorrect age in introducing him into the primary crew. Certainly, Højlund wanted simply 38 mins to get at the scoresheet for his unutilized membership and after added a 2d in his Austrian Bundesliga debut, a 2-2 draw at WSG Tirol.

Flourishing as one in all two strikers in entrance of a midfield diamond, the Dane adopted up with targets in his after two suits and ended up with six from 13 video games in his first half of season. A trifling 5 months into his Sturm Graz occupation an array of larger golf equipment from Europe had been alerted to his speedy stand and, then an similarly important begin to the unutilized marketing campaign the place he scored 3 targets in 5 video games, Atalanta moved impulsively to deliver him to Bergamo for €17.2m — contextually a good-looking immense providence for the Austrians given Kelvin Yeboah’s €6.5m travel to Genoa six months previously used to be the former depart file.

Future Højlund took once in a while to regulate to the extra aggressive Serie A order, he stated himself correctly on the flip of the 12 months. He scored in 4 consecutive video games in January and gained rave evaluations then a hat trick for Denmark — in handiest his 3rd senior cap — towards Finland in March.

Given his skyrocketing travel, his bodily dominance, and the impressive nature of a few his targets, it turned into seen that Atalanta would attempt to reserve him past the summer season because the likes of Actual Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United confirmed pastime. And United in the end received the race.

Place

Centre-forward. Predominantly covered up as one in all two central attackers at Atalanta (he established a excellent working out with former Everton superstar Ademola Lookman) or as a lone centre-forward in a 3-4-3 formation, Højlund has additionally effectively spearheaded Denmark’s 4-3-3 machine. He operates neatly with a supporting striker, simply as he hyperlinks in neatly in entrance of a Refuse. 10 and with the attack-minded full-backs.

Regardless of his while, he’s now not limited to any explicit tactical type, however up to he’s excellent at timing his runs centrally with out the ball, he has a tendency to seem to tackle defenders within the dimension between the left-back and the centre-back, with the effort of surroundings himself as much as strike a left-footed shot.

Strengths

The power comparisons to Haaland do expose a good-looking alike skillset, bodily and tactical profile. Despite the fact that missing an inch on Haaland’s 6-foot-4 body, Højlund stocks the Norwegian’s implementing body, super acceleration and long-distance life. If truth be told, Atalanta educator, Gian Piero Gasperini famously claimed Højlund can run the 100-meter dash in not up to 11 seconds.

Additionally left-footed, he carries the ball neatly at velocity and, a lot in the similar vein because the Manchester Town superstar, he in particular flourishes within the transitional section of the sport. Catching the opposing facet off steadiness — with the defenders backing-off — the unutilized Manchester United guy is in a position to velocity life defenders with the ball at his ft, once in a while developing added doubt by means of opting for the lane between the centre-backs and decreasing the chance of being compelled into broad subjects. In conjunction with the sprinter-like life, he additionally brings a dozen of power and exuberance to the tone, frequently animated and conscious of a fired-up people.

Evaluating Højlund’s goal-scoring numbers (10 in 34 for Atalanta) to these of Haaland — who’s frankly an irregularity with 52 targets in 53 video games right through his first season for Town — is senseless, but the Dane is a finisher in construction. He reads the stream of the assault neatly, pulls or spins clear of his markers intelligently to seek out dimension and angles for cut-backs or tap-ins, and is worked up to tug adjustive touches each time required in lieu of going for a first-time end.

It’s additionally usefulness citing that his 12 months in Italy served him neatly. Below the steering of Gasperini his tactical self-discipline sharpened, he turned into extra assured in the use of his weaker proper bedrock and his urgent sport stepped forward too.

Weaknesses

At 20, there are inevitably facets of his sport which are due some refinement. In his link-up play games he’s taking complete benefit of his power and steadiness to secure off defenders, however it could possibly nonetheless be at the sloppy facet, despite the fact that that and his aerial sport have evident growth over the life 12 months.

As subsidized up by means of his numbers, Højlund could also be a target scorer at the ascent. His completing, then again, may also be quite inconsistent. From time to time he can fail to select the best spots and is stuck in two minds with the ball finishing up directly on the goalkeeper, even if he has a tendency to do a dozen proper in his positioning.

Tactically, it’ll be fascinating to find whether or not Guy United boss Erik ten Hag will glance to mildew Højlund extra into an all-round centre-forward or finetune the poacher side of his sport, therefore limiting his participation within the build-up section and now not permitting him to loose deep.

The place he suits in

Without reference to his considerable switch price it must be emphasized that United have signed Højlund for his undisputed attainable and the commitment of items to return instead than the completed article.

Future there are similarities to Haaland each stylistically and bodily, it’d be naïve to be expecting Højlund to brochure the Manchester Town Refuse. 9’s freakish instant affect (the closing’s psychological power and i’m sure self-confidence are hardly ever mentioned and dry to quantify, however journey a way in opposition to explaining his luck.)

No longer handiest used to be the Norwegian a year-and-a-half used when he signed for the Town, however he’d additionally damaged out and sharped his sport at a more youthful while at golf equipment like FC Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund. But, there’s incorrect hesitation that Højlund’s technical profile and steady travel over the life 12 months put together for an shrewd chance.

Manchester United’s inadequency of centre-forward choices — with Marcus Rashford in all probability to detail at the left of assault — may neatly see Højlund being thrown in on the deep finish, it is going to now not faze him. Giving him age is vital and there are few coaches extra prepared and competent at guiding skills from the condition of a “project” to an absolutely fledged first-team ordinary than Ten Hag.