Rasmus Højlund

Rasmus Højlund
Personal information
Full name Rasmus Winther Højlund[1]
Date of birth (2003-02-04) 4 February 2003 (age 20)[2]
Place of birth Copenhagen, Denmark
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 11
Youth career
0000–2012 HUI [da]
2012–2017 Brøndby
2017–2020 Copenhagen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Copenhagen 19 (0)
2022 Sturm Graz 18 (9)
2022–2023 Atalanta 32 (9)
2023– Manchester United 10 (0)
International career‡
2018–2019 Denmark U16 10 (1)
2019 Denmark U17 5 (1)
2021–2022 Denmark U19 9 (1)
2022 Denmark U21 3 (0)
2022– Denmark 10 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:44, 2 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:00, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Rasmus Winther Højlund (Danish pronunciation: [ˈʁɑsmus ˈhʌjˌlɔnˀ];[4] born 4 February 2003) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the Denmark national team.

Højlund graduated from Copenhagen's youth academy, making his first-team debut for the club aged 17 in October 2020. After scoring five goals in 32 appearances for Copenhagen, he joined Austrian club Sturm Graz in January 2022. Later that year, he was signed by Atalanta for €17 million.

Højlund played youth international football for Denmark from under-16 to under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in September 2022.

Club career

Copenhagen

Højlund was born in Copenhagen[5] and grew up in Hørsholm, Capital Region.[6] He played youth football for HUI [da] and Brøndby, before joining Copenhagen's youth system.[7] He made his professional debut for Copenhagen at the age of 17 in October 2020.[8] During the 2021–22 season, he made his debut in European competitions, contributing five goals in the UEFA Europa Conference League across qualification rounds and the tournament proper.[9]

Sturm Graz

In January 2022, Højlund joined Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz for a reported fee of €1.8 million.[10] He scored 12 goals in 21 games across all competitions during the remainder of the 2021–22 season and the start of the 2022–23 season.[9]

Atalanta

On 27 August 2022, Højlund signed with Serie A club Atalanta in a deal worth a reported €17 million.[9][10] He scored his first goal for Atalanta on 5 September in a 2–0 away win over Monza.[11] Initially confined to a substitute role at the beginning of the season, he carved out a place for himself in the squad due to the poor form and injuries of usual starter, Duván Zapata. In January 2023, he went on to deliver several convincing performances, notably scoring four goals in four consecutive games.[12][13]

Manchester United

On 29 July 2023, Premier League side Manchester United agreed a deal to sign Højlund from Atalanta for an initial £64 million fee plus £8 million in performance related add-ons, with the player agreeing a five year deal with the option of an extra year.[14] He was then announced officially as a United player on 5 August 2023, subject to international clearance.[15]

Højlund made his debut on 3 September 2023, replacing Anthony Martial in the 67th minute of a Premier League match against Arsenal, which ended in a 3–1 defeat.[16] On 20 September, Højlund scored his first goal for the club in a 4–3 away defeat against Bayern Munich in the opening match of the 2023–24 Champions League.[17] In United's second Champions League fixture against Galatasaray at Old Trafford, he scored twice as United lost 3–2, and was named man of the match despite the loss.[18] On 8 November, he scored twice on his return to Parken as Manchester United lost 4–3 to his former club FC Copenhagen.[19]

International career

In September 2022, Højlund played his first international matches for Denmark against Croatia and France during the UEFA Nations League.[20] On 23 March 2023, he made his first international start, scoring a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Finland during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, his first goals for his country.[21] He ended the qualification phase as Denmark's top-scorer with seven goals.[22]

Personal life

His younger twin brothers, Emil and Oscar, are both footballers with his former club, Copenhagen.[23]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 November 2023[3]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Copenhagen 2020–21 Danish Superliga 4 0 1 0 — 0 0 5 0
2021–22 Danish Superliga 15 0 1 0 — 11[c] 5 27 5
Total 19 0 2 0 — 11 5 32 5
Sturm Graz 2021–22 Austrian Bundesliga 13 6 0 0 — 0 0 13 6
2022–23 Austrian Bundesliga 5 3 1 2 — 2[d] 1 8 6
Total 18 9 1 2 — 2 1 21 12
Atalanta 2022–23 Serie A 32 9 2 1 — — 34 10
Manchester United 2023–24 Premier League 9 0 0 0 2 0 5[d] 5 16 5
Career total 78 18 5 3 2 0 18 11 103 32
  1. ^ Includes Danish Cup, Austrian Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 17 October 2023[24]
National team Year Apps Goals
Denmark 2022 2 0
2023 8 7
Total 10 7
Denmark score listed first, score column indicates score after each Højlund goal.[24]
List of international goals scored by Rasmus Højlund
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 23 March 2023 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 3  Finland 1–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [25]
2 2–1
3 3–1
4 26 March 2023 Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan 4  Kazakhstan 1–0 2–3 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [26]
5 2–0
6 19 June 2023 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia 6  Slovenia 1–1 1–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [27]
7 17 October 2023 San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino 10  San Marino 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours

Copenhagen

Sturm Graz

References

  1. ^ Nørby Jensen, Jørgen (26 March 2023). "Rasmus Højlund | Den Store Danske". lex.dk (in Danish). Den Store Danske. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. ^ UEFA.com. "Rasmus Højlund - Denmark - European Qualifiers". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b Rasmus Højlund at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Rasmus Højlunds reaktion efter hattricket i Parken - samt reaktioner fra Kjær, Bah og Stryger" [Rasmus Højlund's reaction after the hat-trick in the Park - as well as reactions from Kjær, Bah and Stryger]. Youtube (in Danish). Danish Football Association. 24 March 2023. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  5. ^ "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RASMUS HØJLUND!". atalanta.it. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  6. ^ Mortensen, Leo (24 March 2023). "Højlund-hattrick gør hjembyen høj: "Han er den nye Haaland"". TV 2 Kosmopol (in Danish). Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Dansk klub misser Rasmus Højlund-millioner". tipsbladet.dk. 28 March 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  8. ^ "DEBUTANTEN HØJLUND: DET ER HELT SURREALISTISK - MEN JEG SKAL HJEM OG I SKOLE!". fck.dk. 26 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "WELCOME, HØJLUND!". Atalanta. 27 August 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b Campanale, Susy (27 August 2022). "Official: Atalanta break bank for 'new Haaland' Hojlund". Football Italia. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  11. ^ Bettoni, Lorenzo (5 September 2022). "Monza 0–2 Atalanta, Gasp new Serie A leader". Football Italia. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  12. ^ Macedo, Aurélien (22 January 2023). "Atalanta : Rasmus Højlund, la nouvelle pépite danoise qui a fait oublier Duván Zapata". Foot Mercato : Info Transferts Football (in French). Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Lookman crowned January's POTM!". Atalanta. 9 February 2023. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Man Utd agree £72m deal to sign Atalanta's Hojlund". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Hojlund signs for United". Manchester United F.C. 5 August 2023. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  16. ^ Martin, Richard (3 September 2023). "Rasmus Hojlund makes his debut! Man Utd's big money signing comes off the bench to feature vs Arsenal". Goal. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Manchester United find hope in Højlund despite Kane's dominant display". The Guardian. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Manchester United player ratings vs Galatasaray as Rasmus Hojlund brilliant but Andre Onana poor". Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Copenhagen 4-3 Man United: can Ten Hag's side still progress in the Champions League?". The Athletic. 9 November 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  20. ^ "The 'new' Haaland is here". Mundo Deportivo. 24 February 2023. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  21. ^ "Hojlund the hat-trick hero as Denmark beat Finland 3–1". Reuters. 23 March 2023. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  22. ^ "EURO 2024 qualifying top scorers: Romelu Lukaku races clear of competition". UEFA. 20 November 2023.
  23. ^ "HØJLUND TWINS EXTEND FCK CONTRACTS". F.C. København. 23 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Rasmus Højlund". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Denmark vs. Finland 3–1: Summary". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  26. ^ "Kazakhstan vs. Denmark 3–2: Summary". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Slovenia vs. Denmark 1–1: Summary". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  28. ^ "FC Copenhagen win 14th Danish league title". www.dailytimes.com.pk. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.

External links