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Rasmus Hojlund's nightmare pre-season continues as Italian media destroy ex-Man United star Former Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has been on the end of strong criticism this summer Former Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has come in for severe criticism from Italian media for underwhelming in pre-season. The Danish forward left Old Trafford for Napoli on loan in September 2025 before making the move permanent this summer for around £38million. Hojlund joined United from Atalanta in July 2023 for an initial £64m but he struggled at Old Trafford, scoring 26 times across 95 appearances. He bagged 16 goals in his debut season in Italy but hasn't made much of an impact in pre-season so far. Hojlund played his third summer friendly for Napoli on Wednesday evening. The Gli Azzurri beat Spanish side Osasuna 2-1, but the media reception for the striker wasn't favourable, with Hojlund largely anonymous in the tie. In fact, he has has struggled all summer. In his new club's first pre-season game against Arezzo, Hojlund played 45 minutes in a 3-1 loss but his performance was subpar. A 2-0 win against Carrarese followed, and while he scored, he was taken off in the second half against the Serie B outfit. The forward has even undergone double training sessions in order to bring his form up to scratch. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Hojlund has split his sessions between ball work with the team and, what the outlet calls, an "extraordinary training session" dedicated to the forward. In this session, Hojlund was said to focus on his movement with his back to the goal and attacking space behind defenders. Shooting drills were also implemented, with the report suggesting Napoli coach Max Allegri "expects a lot" from Hojlund, and that he wanted to sign him for Milan, his previous side. It remains to be seen if Hojlund's impressive dedication comes off. However, as it stands, the Italian media have destroyed the ex-United star with three publications singling out the star for strong criticism for his role in the Osasuna victory. Area Napoli The outlet began their report by asking: "Where is the real Hojlund?" They then declared that the ex-United striker had played poorly. They added: "Hojlund disappoints once again. The Danish striker is struggling to get into form. He was inconsistent against Osasuna, but his qualities are significant and his value cannot be questioned." Sky's Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season with more than 1,400 live games across the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts. Every subscription now comes with 135 channels alongside free subscriptions to HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu. Gazzetta dello Sport The Italian publication were slightly more diplomatic in their view of Hojlund. They wrote: "Napoli is still a work in progress, but the 2-1 win over Osasuna is a confidence boost, as we wait for the transfer market to bring in the reinforcements needed to achieve great things. [Matteo] Politano is in form (a goal and a crossbar strike), while Hojlund is still far from his best." Hojlund's performance was in contrast to that of Noa Lang, with the report eulogising the Dutch attacker and making a point that Allegri will be forced to dip into the transfer market again. They said: "Lang was inspired and also showed remarkable self-sacrifice, dropping back and chasing all the way to the defence. Max smiled: Napoli had a good test, now it was time to step up their game. And on the transfer market." Canale 8 Speaking on the show 'Ne Parliamo da Castel di Sangro' on Canale 8, journalist Paolo Del Genio dug deep into Napoli's performance and, again, slammed Hojlund for being non-existent in the attacking third. He said: “We saw little in the offensive phase; Hojlund wasn't there. Maybe we were missing a link-up player, [Anotnio] Vergara, [Scott] McTominay, or [Kevin] De Bruyne, but [Michael] Folorunsho was there.” FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page