Four former Manchester United stars, once sidelined, now shine in the Champions League

02/10/2025 22:54:00 GoalGuru

What do Hojlund, Elanga, Rashford, and Sabitzer share? They all previously played for Man United but were underrated and have now all shone at their new clubs in the Champions League.

Kevin De Bruyne attracted attention by comparing Rasmus Hojlund to his former Manchester City teammate, Erling Haaland.

The Danish striker is among the former Man United players making a strong impression during the recent Champions League matches.

Man United are absent from Europe’s top competition this season after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham last season. However, their former players are performing impressively at their new clubs.

Hojlund scored to help Napoli beat Sporting Lisbon 2-1.

Hojlund, who was initially excluded from coach Ruben Amorim’s plans early in the season, has continued his impressive form with Napoli. He was named "Man of the Match" after scoring twice to help the Serie A champions overcome Sporting Lisbon 2-1.

In the first half, Hojlund opened the scoring in the 36th minute by sprinting onto a delicate through ball from De Bruyne and finishing coolly. After Sporting equalized from a penalty, the De Bruyne–Hojlund duo made the difference again. The Belgian star delivered a precise cross for the Danish striker to head in the winning goal.

After the match, Hojlund emotionally said: "This is a night every player dreams of, playing in the Champions League. I touched the Napoli badge to show my happiness wearing this club’s shirt, and also the Champions League logo because I truly love scoring in Europe."

Not only praising Hojlund’s performance, De Bruyne also made a bold comparison with Haaland, his former teammate who helped Man City win the 2023 Champions League.

"We deserved to win this match. I waited for the perfect moment to pass to Rasmus for the first goal, and he did the rest. I think Rasmus is developing a lot and is very similar to Haaland. Both enjoy attacking the spaces."

"Hojlund may often drop deeper to play with teammates, but he needs to exploit space more because that’s how he scores and benefits the team."

This opinion recalls the statement of coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who compared Hojlund to Haaland when he was at Atalanta, before transferring to Man United for £72 million in 2023. Currently, after just five games on loan at Napoli with a £38 million purchase option, Hojlund has scored three goals.

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