Ruben Amorim catching strays! Antonio Conte aims brutal dig at Man Utd & sacked head coach over handling of Napoli loanee Rasmus Hojlund | Goal.com Malaysia
Antonio Conte has seemingly hit out at Ruben Amorim and Manchester United for their handling of striker Rasmus Hojlund, who is currently enjoying a loan spell with Serie A side Napoli. The Danish striker had a tough second season at Old Trafford and was sent to Italy as Amorim preferred summer signing Benjamin Sesko, who has scored five goals in 19 appearances for the Red Devils so far. Amorim has since been sacked and replaced by Michael Carrick, who will preside over the club for the remainder of the campaign.
Hojlund joins Napoli after struggling under Amorim at Man Utd
The 22-year-old had a promising first season at United after being signed by former boss Erik ten Hag, scoring 16 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions and helping them win the FA Cup, but after a second year that yielded only 10 more strikes in 52 matches, Amorim made the decision to cut the Denmark international out of his thinking and instead targeted Sesko, who arrived from RB Leipzig.
Hojlund has been in better touch under Conte at Napoli, finding the back of the net on nine occasions so far this term and looking more like the player who convinced United to splash out £64 million (€73.8m/$85.9m) following his one-season spell at Atalanta. That improvement has been noted by Conte, who praised the young striker and also sent a subtle dig towards Amorim and United, suggesting that Hojlund has benefitted from working under a better coaching system.
Getty Images SportConte: Hojlund has improved 'so much' since leaving Man Utd
Speaking ahead of Napoli's Serie A clash with Parma on Wednesday night, Conte said: "Rasmus is a player who has improved so much since he first arrived. He is 22 years old, we saw great potential in him, but inevitably these lads need to be coached by people who can improve them, teach them how to work for the team, the positioning, when to go towards the ball and when to attack the space.
"Our job is to keep improving all the players and make them better than when they first arrive."
Amorim sacked while Sesko struggles as Hojlund's replacement
Amorim had clearly decided he had seen enough of Hojlund by the end of the 2024-25 season as United were instantly linked with new strikers at the start of the summer transfer window. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were brought in from Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers early in the summer, while Sesko arrived later in the window as Amorim's new No.9.
The picture at Old Trafford is now much different, with Amorim sacked at the start of 2026 following a 1-1 draw with Leeds United, after which he also took aim at director of football Jason Wilcox. Darren Fletcher took charge of two games as a caretaker manager before Michael Carrick was handed the interim role until the end of the season.
It's also been a tricky start to the United career of Sesko. The Slovenia international, who like Hojlund is 22 years of age, has scored five goals in 19 appearances so far this term, though three of those have come in his last two games thanks to strikes against Burnley and Brighton.
AFPHojlund enjoying Serie A return after sealing Old Trafford exit
Conversely, Hojlund is enjoying a more prolific campaign in front of goal and looks to have shrugged off some of the anxiety that was plaguing him during his second season at United. With nine goals so far, the striker will be feeling more settled at Napoli, though he will know many more strikes will be required if he is to trigger the obligation for the Partonopei to sign him permanently.
The Italian outfit need to qualify for the Champions League for Hojlund's move to be automatically sealed and Conte's side are locked in a fascinating race for both the Serie A title and places in Europe's elite club competition next term. Inter and AC Milan sit in first and second place in Italy's top flight, while Juventus and Roma are also firmly in the hunt for top-four positions.
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