Peter Schmeichel reveals he told Manchester United to sign Rasmus Hojlund last year

Peter Schmeichel has revealed he recommended Rasmus Hojlund to Manchester United when he joined Atalanta last summer.

Erik ten Hag completed the signing of the Danish forward earlier this summer. Hojlund has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few years and has impressed for the national team, scoring six goals in as many caps.

Schmeichel has been keeping tabs on his development and was confident of the quality he possessed. In the build-up to United's clash with Arsenal, Premier League Productions' presenter Steve Bower revealed the 59-year-old had already earmarked Hojlund as a future United player.

He said: "I have to give Schmeichel credit because you said to me there is a boy who was about to go to Italy at the time called Rasmus Hojlund and Manchester United should sign him, I had never heard of him."

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"Manchester United have got, in this kid, completely unfulfilled potential," Schmeichel said in response. "This guy could take it to any level. He has got everything you want from a striker.

"The question mark is Manchester United now. At Manchester United it is difficult. It is difficult because he has not even played a game, he is £72m, we are talking about him, that attention he has never experienced before.

"He didn't go to the World Cup, he had been with the squad a couple of times and maybe it had been a little too early for him. As soon as the World Cup had finished, we started a new qualification, he was in the squad and Kasper [Schmeichel] said to me, 'I really hope he [the Denmark national team manager] plays him' and in his first game we scored three goals and he scored all of them.

"You are looking at this kid and you are thinking,