He brought us luck - Conte hails fomer Man Utd star after dream Napoli debut

Conte has hailed Hojlund after his Napoli debut

Napoli head coach Antonio Conte has lauded new signing Rasmus Hojlund after the striker scored on his debut in a 3-1 Serie A victory over Fiorentina.

The 22-year-old, who joined on a season-long loan from Manchester United, needed only 14 minutes to open his account for the Partenopei.

What Conte said

Conte, in his post-match remarks, praised the Dane’s potential and cheekily thanked United for allowing the deal.

“Hojlund is only 22 years old, we got him from Manchester United, seeing as it brought us luck doing that with McTominay.

“We knew his qualities, he has great potential and can improve. You can see he’s a lad with great prospects,” Conte said.

A Replacement for injured Lukaku

Hojlund’s arrival was seen as vital after Romelu Lukaku, who played a decisive role in Napoli’s title-winning campaign last season, suffered a thigh injury in pre-season.

The Belgian opted against surgery but is still expected to be sidelined for several months.

Conte stressed that Napoli needed another forward capable of both scoring and holding up play.

“We signed Hojlund to replace Romelu, who will be out for a long time. Napoli controlled the match today, and we also need someone who can hold the ball up, that’s true of all teams who want to dominate matches,” he explained.

The Transfer deal

Napoli secured Hojlund on a €6 million loan with an obligation to buy for €44 million (£38m/$51m) next summer. The move came after United signed Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, pushing the Dane down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

The signing complements the earlier arrival of Lorenzo Lucca, who impressed with 12 league goals for Udinese last season.

The win over Fiorentina means Napoli have won their opening three league games for the first time since the 2021/22 season, continuing Conte’s strong start at the helm.