Schmeichel Slams Man Utd's £38m Hojlund Blunder as Butt Frets Over Sesko Repeat

Manchester United's decision to loan out Rasmus Hojlund has backfired spectacularly, according to club legend Peter Schmeichel, who reckons the Red Devils have handed Napoli a bargain with an obligation clause that will cost them dear.

The 23-year-old Danish striker was shipped out last summer after struggling to make an impact at Old Trafford, where he managed just 14 Premier League goals across 62 appearances—with only four arriving during the most recent campaign. Things have been rather different in Italy, however. Since arriving in Naples, Hojlund has fired in 14 goals across all competitions, catching the eye of Serie A observers.

The terms of the deal mean Napoli will be obliged to purchase Hojlund permanently for £38m come summer if they qualify for the Champions League—a scenario that appears virtually inevitable for the Italian side.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Schmeichel expressed his frustration with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS for allowing the striker to depart. "I think he could have been absolutely fantastic," Schmeichel reflected. "But I don't think he wants to come back and I don't think he can because Napoli have already qualified for the Champions League."

Nicky Butt, Schmeichel's former Old Trafford teammate, went further, branding the Hojlund situation "wrong" and voicing concerns that history may repeat itself with incoming signing Benjamin Sesko. Butt highlighted the difficulty of asking an inexperienced young player to shoulder the burden of carrying a struggling side.

"What they did with Hojlund was wrong because they brought a young boy in who's not got any Premier League experience and asked him to carry Manchester United," Butt said. "I'm scared they're going to do that with Sesko. I know Sesko has done really well of late but they still need to get another centre forward, we had four top players in that position."

Michael Owen has similarly weighed in, suggesting that judging Hojlund fairly has been impossible given the broader dysfunction at United. "Strikers are the end of the chain," Owen told Premier League Productions. "If the chain is broken, it's pointless in many ways. I would love to see Hojlund and see what he can do now."

Owen drew a parallel with Sesko, noting that both players found themselves operating within a dysfunctional system. "He played in a Manchester United team that was broken and didn't have any links and played poorly. Who's to say he's not really good? He's doing really well in Italy now," Owen explained. "Sesko is the same, it was hard to judge but now that chain throughout the team is actually working, you are seeing a different type of player."

The overarching theme from United's former greats is clear: the club has squandered an opportunity with Hojlund and risks repeating the error with their next young striker signing.