September 11, (THEWILL) – Rasmus Hojlund’s Manchester United debut was purposely delayed, as was the opportunity for fans to get his name printed on shirts at the club shop.
THEWILL recalls that Hojlund moved to United from Atalanta in early August for a fee that could reach £72m. The 20-year-old Dane arrived carrying an injury from pre-season. United also held off assigning him a squad number, likely waiting for other transfers to free up the number 17 he previously wore.
Fred’s exit allowed Hojlund to take the number 11 shirt, the same as his Denmark number. This was announced on the morning of his debut against Arsenal, where he came off the bench. But fans still could not buy his shirt due to United lacking the “Ø” letters used in Danish and Norwegian for his name. The lettering reportedly arrived last Thursday and the shirt is now on sale.
Hojlund impressed on his debut, sprinting through Arsenal’s defence despite limited time on the ball. Over the international break, he came on against San Marino and played the full second half versus Finland.
Overall, it was a positive start for United’s new striker, even if getting his shirt was frustratingly slow for fans. They will hope he can energise a United side lacking in inspiration and dealing with a host of injuries and off-field issues relating to players like Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Antony.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
