Schmeichel Shares His Thoughts on Hojlund and McTominay: Confused About Their Presence at Napoli

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has shared his thoughts on the transfers of Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay to Napoli.

Hojlund has exemplified that departing from Manchester United might be a beneficial decision for players experiencing a significant decline in performance. The Danish forward has netted seven goals and assisted once in his last nine games for the Serie A club, continuing to showcase his abilities.

Schmeichel perplexed by United’s transfer decisions

His influence in Italy, alongside former United player McTominay, has been widely noted, with the Scot even leading Napoli to a league title last season, earning him the title of Serie A player of the season.

In a conversation with the BBC, Schmeichel expressed his belief that both players should have remained at the club, critiquing United’s transfer strategy as perplexing.

“What is he doing at Napoli? He is quintessentially Manchester United,” Schmeichel remarked.

“His versatility seemed to work against him. You have players who are restricted to a single position, and managers often lack confidence in him to structure the team around him. They prefer players with defined roles. Unfortunately, he has been sidelined too many times because of that.

“I don’t understand why those two are at Napoli. No one embodies the enthusiasm for Manchester United more than Rasmus Hojlund. He has been a supporter since he was 10, expressing his desire to play for the club. The fans appreciate him for his hard work and dedication to the team.”

McTominay could have complemented Hojlund

McTominay tallied 13 goals and registered six assists during his first season, leading Schmeichel to suggest that he might have been the ideal player to assist Hojlund had he stayed at United.

<p"His current performance at Napoli, supported by players like Kevin de Bruyne and Scott McTominay, showcases that he is capable of finding the back of the net.

“I have been consistently saying for over two years that Rasmus Hojlund has the potential to be a 25-goal striker for Manchester United; he just requires the right support.

“We let him go based on his goal tally last season while bringing in Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbuemo, players who could provide Hojlund with top-quality assistance.”

What United overlooked has become Napoli’s advantage, with the Italian club likely to activate Hojlund’s buyout clause and secure him at no cost at the end of the season.