Hojlund: When Conte calls, you can´t say no

Rasmus Hojlund could not turn down a loan move to Napoli following a conversation with head coach Antonio Conte.

Manchester United deemed Hojlund, who they signed for a reported £72m in 2023, surplus to requirements following the 2024-25 season, in which he scored just 10 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions.

He was originally signed by Napoli as an emergency replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who suffered a serious thigh injury during pre-season.

Once the Denmark international heard of the interest from the Serie A champions and spoke to Conte, he did not want to go anywhere else.

“It was quite a short conversation [with Conte], but a very, very good one,” Hojlund told Sports Illustrated.

“I think he’s an incredible coach. I’ve only seen him do good things almost everywhere he’s been, so obviously that was a big part of it. When he calls you, you just have to say yes.

“United made it quite clear for me that I wasn’t part of the plans for this year, and with no European football and that sort of thing.

“I’m young, I have to play football, and for that reason, I think this was also a good opportunity for me.

“Napoli saw an opportunity to go and get me and as soon as I heard the interest from them, I made it quite obvious to my camp and to the people around that I only wanted to go there.”

The ball ricochets into the path of Hojlund, who scores the opener for Napoli! #CremoneseNapoli 0-1 pic.twitter.com/Pf1jSnChfr

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) December 28, 2025

Hojlund has enjoyed a dramatic change in fortunes since arriving in Naples, contributing 12 goal involvements (nine goals, three assists) in 20 games.

With Lukaku nearing a return to full fitness, Hojlund may need to maintain his impressive start if he is to hold onto his place in Conte’s starting lineup.

However, the Dane hopes playing for the same team as Lukaku can help him improve his game.

“Rom is a fantastic guy. I didn’t really know him from before. I’ve had a couple of chats with him, like on the pitch, and I’ve actually got a Romelu shirt at home. He’s a bit of an idol for me, because I’ve always looked up to him, actually,” said Hojlund.

“I want to learn from him as well, because I feel like he can give me so much, he’s always been scoring goals, and he’s great at linking the play and those sort of things. I think he has a lot he can give as well.”