Ousted Man Utd star hints manager was to blame and names turning point – ‘we all suffered’
A player Manchester United waved goodbye to this summer claims he didn’t feel wanted anymore, and he’s also pinpointed the moment that changed his United career for the worse.
Man Utd shredded their wage bill this summer, waving goodbye to two of their highest earners in Jadon Sancho and Casemiro.
Neither player generated a fee for Man Utd, unlike Rasmus Hojlund whose permanent switch to Napoli netted the Red Devils roughly £36m.
Hojlund had spent the season prior on loan in Naples, with the deal containing a conditional obligation to buy pending Champions League qualification.
That target was easily achieved, and with Hojlund now in Naples for the long haul, he’s taken a moment to reflect on his United career, along with where it went wrong in England.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Hojlund claimed he felt unwanted at Man Utd, and stressed his initial loan move to Napoli came at the perfect time.
“It was a positive step,” he began. “I remember last year, I was in a difficult situation at United, I even said I thought they didn’t want me there anymore. I had to evaluate my options, and Napoli was definitely the right choice.”
When asked what went wrong at United, Hojlund didn’t zero in on any one specific thing, though did point to former boss, Ruben Amorim, as someone many Man Utd players struggled under.
Man Utd players ‘suffered’ under Ruben Amorim – Rasmus Hojlund
“I don’t think anything specific went wrong,” added Hojlund. “I arrived at a club with a manager (Erik ten Hag). It was a difficult year, with a lot of injuries, but we won the FA Cup and I was the top scorer.
“Then we went through a difficult period and Amorim arrived, an excellent coach but with a different style of play. The team had to adapt and it was complicated. We all suffered.”
Hojlund concluded by noting United’s loss in the 2025 Europa League final to Tottenham may well have been the final nail in his United career.
The defeat meant Man Utd had no European football in the 2025/26 season, and with a range of new forwards (Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha) signed, there wasn’t the same need to have such strong strength in depth with a sparser fixture list.
“My first year [at Man Utd] was a success, the second was not,” continued Hojlund. “But I played in the Europa League final. If we had won it would have been a different story.
“That’s football. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes badly, but I’m very happy to have played for the club I dreamed of as a child.”
