Erik ten Hag can help Rasmus Hojlund prove Manchester United transfer doubters wrong

If you're Rasmus Hojlund, one of Europe's most highly-rated young strikers on the verge of completing a dream transfer, you probably don't care much about all those doubting your ability or why the club is signing you. But, the tiniest part of you might wonder what you've done to deserve such derision before even kicking a ball at Old Trafford.

But rest assured, it's actually Manchester United's thinking which is being called into question by many, as the club once again gears up to spend a humungous sum of money on a player who might one day prove to be worth it, but simply isn't just now.

Hojlund burst into the mainstream earlier this year when he bagged five goals in his first two starts for Denmark. The comparisons to fellow Scandanavian Erling Haaland were quickly made and he was soon earning interest from all the biggest clubs in Europe. United included, who added them to their striker short-list ahead of the transfer window.

The 20-year-old had made the switch to Atalanta in 2022 and had a promising if unremarkable debut campaign in one of Europe's top five leagues. Hojlund finished the season with nine Serie A goals, with a further six coming at his previous club He displayed dynamism, pace and energy and showed the potential to perhaps become one of the game's top forwards.

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READ MORE: United could strengthen four other squad areas after Hojlund deal

But potential comes with no guarantees and a possible fee of £72million for a player with such little experience and so few goals is a hard calculation to make sense of. A striker was United's biggest priority ahead of the window and