"He is a real frontman. Very direct to the goal, very good presser, a physical presence. That is all in his mind: he wants to score goals," Erik ten Hag said after Rasmus Hojlund completed a £75 million ($96m) move to Manchester United from Atalanta last summer. "I think he has huge potential. The team was waiting for a type like him. They will integrate him in the dressing room and in the pitch; they will help him. Finally, the player has to prove it."
Hojlund finished his first season at Old Trafford as United's joint-top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions, a respectable total considering he missed a total of 11 games due to injury. He also became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six consecutive games, and got his hands on the first major trophy of his fledging career in the form of the FA Cup.
United have rewarded the Denmark international by upgrading his shirt number from 11 to 9, after allowing the previous occupant of the jersey, Anthony Martial, to depart as a free agent, with the caption "ready to lead the line" included on the club's social post announcing the news. But has Hojlund really proven that he is ready for this responsibility?
Although there have been some encouraging signs, the 21-year-old looks a long way off being the finished article, and certainly hasn't done enough to justify his eye-watering price tag. United's vote of confidence will only increase the pressure on his shoulders, too, especially with expectations rising once again under the new INEOS ownership regime.
The Red Devils have to start the 2024-25 campaign with a bang, and so does Hojlund. If not, there is a very real danger he could follow the same path as Martial, who also made a promising start to life in Manchester before gradually fading into obscurity.