Erik ten Hag has his striker after Manchester United have agreed to a deal to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for €70 million which will also include add-ons, according to CBS Sports insider Fabrizio Romano. It's quite the addition to the Red Devils as the 20-year-old Danish phenom will have a chance to grow and lead the United attack after a breakout season in Serie A saw him score nine goals and assist two more.
While the goal numbers may seem low, this is where Hojlund's age has to be taken into account as he can lead the line for years which is also why he has agreed to a five year deal for the club. Striker has been a problematic position for the Red Devils due to Anthony Martial's injury woes and Marcus Rashford preferring to come in from the left side which called for an addition especially with Champions League soccer looming.
Where things get tricky is that Ten Hag must balance what Hojlund can do for Manchester United now against hat he can do in a year or two or five. The Premier League can swallow up talented young players because expectations on them are so high out of the gate and Hojlund has quite a lot to work on in his game before he can become the team's focal point or primary attacking option.
Having Rashford to ease pressure along with Mason Mount, Christian Eriksen, and Bruno Fernandes to play him into good places will help but this is quite a step for Hojlund. He was able to make the jump from the Austrian Bundesliga with Strum Gratz to Serie A but he'll need to be more clinical to keep up in the Premier League.
What's not in doubt are Hojlund's physical tools. Standing 6'3", Hojlund will be able to develop a physical presence but not being a high volume shooter, he averaged just 2.65 shots per 90 minutes last season with a team that attacks as much as Atalanta, is something that will need to improve as he grows in confidence with the Red Devils. The early days of this move will be critical. The list of young players that have moved to United and struggled is not short, with their current winger Jadon Sancho serving as a prime example.
United have also been linked to Harry Kane this summer, and while in some ways Hojlund has a similar profile, sporting an all around game combined with physical size and strength, his rawness means that he'll inevitably come up wanting in that comparison, at least for a couple of years. With patience, however, in a pass heavy United attack, Hojlund has the potential to take things to a new level which he'll need to do to justify the high fee. Still, if he can harness those physical traits and add more shooting and goals to his game while he continues to blow by defenders in the Premier League he'll be worth it.
A more physical league than most, players in England can, and will, close down on Hojlund quickly in England giving him less time to make a decision. But, if Ten Hag and the team can assist him with making the right ones, not only will United's position as a top-four side be secured, but it will bring them closer to competing with their cross town rivals Manchester City for the title as well.
