Sergio Gallardo

THE 'DANISH

Serie A sensation Rasmus Hojlund is  earning comparisons with the City ace

HAALAND'

Rasmus Hojlund, one of Serie A’s  major sensations this season, is  earning comparisons with Erling Haaland - high praise indeed.

The 19-year-old Atalanta striker was  a notable absentee from Denmark’s squad for the World Cup - and has excelled since Qatar 2022. 

Hojlund has scored three goals in his last four Serie A games for the Bergamo club, as well as netting once against Spezia in the Coppa Italia.

He boasts attributes that make him a top prospect. 6ft 4in tall, he’s a left-footer who’s great in the air and has a killer instinct in front of goal.

In addition to being a bona fide  fox in the box, Hojlund shares other  traits with Haaland. He’s tall,  blond, and Scandinavian.

He’s on fire right now, having already shown what he can do in other leagues. Last term, he scored 12 goals in 41 games for Austrians Sturm Graz.

Hojlund also impressed in the  youth set-up at boyhood club Copenhagen, knocking in 16 goals in Denmark’s U19 Boys League.

He’s under contract at Atalanta until 2027, and is valued at €15m. He’s still only young, but we can expect to hear plenty more from him in the future.

Can Hojlund follow in Haaland’s  footsteps? The Norwegian has only been at Man City for some six months, and has already broken records.

The 22-year-old has banged in 25 goals in 19 Premier League appearances - a haul that includes no fewer than four hat-tricks.

Cristiano Ronaldo managed three Premier League hat-tricks in seven and a half seasons. Ruud van Nistelrooy took 65 games to hit four trebles.

On top of his impressive Premier League stats, Haaland has 28 goals in 23 career UCL appearances. In all, he has scored 16 hat-tricks as a pro.

He’s on the cusp of making more history: he’s just one hat-trick short of the record five scored by Alan Shearer in the 1995/96 Premier League season.