Manchester United may backtrack on a player who they snubbed in favour of Rasmus Hojlund.
The 21-year-old Dane made his way through the Copenhagen youth set-up before a stint at Sturm Graz in 2022 and a big move to Atalanta the very same year. After ten goals and four assists in 34 games for the Serie A side, Hojlund piqued the interest of a wealth of clubs, including the Red Devils, who were managed by Erik ten Hag at the time.
In a reported £72million move, Hojlund put pen to paper at United in the summer of 2023 – an incredibly brazen move for the club considering the youngster’s lack of experience. However, Hojlund impressed in his maiden season under Ten Hag, hitting the back of the net 16 times across all competitions and proving his worth in a struggling Manchester United side who lifted the FA Cup but finished eighth in the Premier League standings.
However, in order to sign Hojlund, United overlooked another bright young talent who could have impressed under the floodlights of Old Trafford. Ten Hag was also said to have been studying Randal Kolo Muani at the same time in which he was scouting Hojlund.
Equally as impressive for club and country, the France international broke through the Nantes academy in 2018, scoring 23 goals in 87 appearances before making the move to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022. An incredibly hot prospect in the Bundesliga, the 26-year-old managed a whopping 26 goals and 17 assists in 50 games for the German side before a number of clubs came enquiring about his services.
And while it is understood United fancied their chances of bringing Kolo Muani to England, they ultimately plumped for Hojlund instead – given his younger age, his larger profile, and his slightly cheaper price tag, as well as ten Hag personally pushing for the player.
Kolo Muani, who eight goals for his country, ended up making the move to Paris Saint-Germain in a £76.4m deal in September 2023, however, he has failed to set Ligue 1 alight. Fast forward to January 2025 and Kolo Muani has netted just two goals in ten games for PSG this season, a stark contrast from his fine form in Germany.
However, the striker could finally find his way to Old Trafford in the January transfer window, as it is reported that United are exploring the possibility of a loan deal. As per The Athletic, United, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus are all reportedly interested in recruiting the 6ft 2in centre forward, as they lack any real firepower in the striking department.
Hojlund has managed just two Premier League goals in the 2024/25 campaign thus far, while Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic and Spurs’ Dominic Solanke stand on seven league goals apiece. New United head coach Ruben Amorim, who took over from Ten Hag in November, is still hoping to remodel the side he has inherited.
Marcus Rashford’s future in the north west is uncertain, and should he part ways with the club in the immediate future, Amorim will depend solely on Hojlund as a natural number nine – not ideal should the youngster find himself injured. Kolo Muani can also play on the wing, making him an appealing addition due to his positional versatility – especially when able to complement the likes of Amad who has seriously impressed on the wing this season.
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