Hojlund Delivers Brutal Six-Word Dig at Man Utd Following Trophy Victory
Rasmus Højlund has publicly praised his decision to move to Napoli during the summer transfer period, describing it as "an excellent choice," which many have interpreted as a subtle criticism of Manchester United.
Højlund is presently on loan with Napoli, arriving on a modest €6 million (£5.2 million, $7.1 million) arrangement for the entire season. A conditional purchase obligation will make the transfer permanent for an additional €44 million next summer if the club secures Champions League qualification—the current Serie A titleholders are positioned third in the standings, with one match fewer than the fourth-placed team.
The Danish forward, who impressively found the net 16 times during his inaugural campaign at Old Trafford, experienced scoring difficulties last season and appeared to lose confidence as time went on. United's substantial investment in Benjamin Šeško marked the conclusion, despite Højlund's initial desire to remain.
Following his arrival at Napoli, Højlund has registered four Serie A strikes in 11 outings, equaling his Premier League tally from 2025–26 in 21 fewer matches. Across all tournaments, he has seven goals in 19 appearances for the former Atalanta player, including one in last week's Supercoppa Italiana semifinal victory against AC Milan.
Napoli proceeded to claim that trophy by overcoming Bologna at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, giving 22-year-old Højlund his third piece of silverware in his developing career.
Højlund shared an image of himself with the trophy on Instagram, stating it validated his decision to depart England and return to Italian football with the caption: "What an excellent decision looks like."
Many supporters have interpreted this as a deliberate jab at Manchester United, where Højlund was unable to maximize his abilities due to various challenging circumstances.
In the end, both United and Højlund have gained from the separation. While the equivalent of €50 million in transfer fees represents a financial loss on the initial €75 million (plus bonuses) agreement with Atalanta in 2023, it remains a considerable sum and has enabled both sides to concentrate on their future plans.
Højlund seems more compatible with Italian football, having generally performed stronger in European matches than in the Premier League, while United have experienced notable improvement in scoring after acquiring Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Scott McTominay: Man Utd Don't Make Players Worse
Højlund has been reunited at Napoli this season with former United colleague Scott McTominay, who holds the title of reigning Serie A Footballer of the Year. However, when questioned whether simply departing Old Trafford improves players, McTominay declined to criticize his childhood club and suggested such thinking is simplistic.
"It's simply too convenient of a justification," he told CBS Sports last week. "It's too convenient to fault Man Utd."
McTominay indicated his inaugural season at Napoli wasn't significantly different from his final year in Manchester: "In my final year [at United], I performed well. I netted 10 goals and we claimed [the FA Cup]."
Marcus Rashford has transitioned from losing favor under Ruben Amorim to featuring regularly for Barcelona. McTominay acknowledged "challenges" hindered the forward last season, but maintains that his previous success in United's jersey proves the point is invalid.
"Regarding Marcus, there were various challenges that may have emerged which we won't discuss. Nevertheless, Marcus is an elite player and has consistently been an elite player, he's among the club icons, scored numerous goals for Man Utd, accomplished many remarkable things," the Scotland international continued.
"Due to the intense scrutiny focused on you, it appears much more severe, in my view."