Christian Eriksen explains role in Rasmus Hojlund's move to Man Utd
- Man Utd agreed to sign Hojlund from Atalanta for up to £72m
- 20-year-old striker arrived at Old Trafford with an injury
- Eriksen has played with Hojlund at international level
By Tom Gott
Christian Eriksen has insisted new Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund will offer something unique to the team after his £72m move from Atalanta.
The 20-year-old was selected as Erik ten Hag's preferred striker target after a fascinating breakout campaign with Atalanta that saw Hojlund bag nine goals in 32 games as he found his feet in one of Europe's major leagues.
On the international stage, Hojlund has six goals in six appearances for Denmark, lining up alongside new United teammate Eriksen - the man he jokingly nicknamed 'Agent Christian' thanks to the pair's conversations about life at Old Trafford.
"He hasn't paid me yet so I don't know where he gets that 'agent' from! I haven't had any fee yet!" Eriksen laughed to MUTV.
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On what he actually told Hojlund to convince his fellow Dane to make the move, Eriksen insisted he did his best to sell life at United but ultimately left the final decision to Hojlund himself.
"Of course, I've spoken to the manager about Rasmus before and I've spoken to Rasmus about the club so in that way, of course, I've told him all the stuff about the club and then obviously I still told him at the time it was his decision to see where he wanted to go and where he could see himself. And then, luckily, it was here," he continued.
"I hope he will bring some goals but definitely he'll bring a lot of [desire]. He's a pressing player with a good technique, good runs. Like a proper nine. I hope he can develop into a very strong player here."
Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford carrying a minor knock he picked up during pre-season with Atalanta, leaving fans forced to wait for a first real look at their new striker. Marcus Rashford is likely to deputise up front while Ten Hag waits for him to recover, with Jadon Sancho another option in a false nine role.
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