The club invested 72million to sign Hojlund from Atalanta because they believe he can become one of Europe&aposs most prolific goalscorers, but there was also an agreement he had the required mentality to represent United.
Although not every player can perform in a red shirt and many have shrunk when playing at Old Trafford, the young striker seemed like a perfect fit because of his supreme confidence, relentless work ethic and desire to improve.
Hojlund regularly did extra finishing sessions during his formative years in F.C. Copenhagen&aposs academy and he impressed coaches during his stints at SK Sturm Graz and Atalanta with his hunger to sharpen certain aspects of his game.
The forward has never been short of confidence and that self-belief was considered an attractive quality by scouts. Hojlund has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last 20 months and his confidence must have grown further in that period.
He was not expected to be subject to a multi-million-pound deal at this early stage of his career, but the club have made a long-term bet on Hojund and it might eventually pay off down the line, despite it being risky.
Hojlund will be given time to adapt to the Premier League and his personality should help him settle into his new surroundings, something which Erik ten Hag has openly admitted he looks to add to the club&aposs dressing room.
Ten Hag wants his signings to have character. Hojlund has that in abundance and he&aposs been described by former coaches as the type of player to raise everyone&aposs spirits in training with his positivity and game-like application.
Every top striker must have unbridled self-confidence to succeed at an elite level and it should stand Hojlund in good stead during this chapter of his career, especially considering the pressure leading the attack for United brings.
Hojlund was in action for Denmark on Sunday night and after his nation&aposs 1-0 narrow win against Finland, which took them a step closer to Euro 2024 qualification, his personality was on show again.
With Denmark&aposs players celebrating with their fans in the corner of the stadium, Hojlund grabbed a megaphone and shouted: “I heard you all game and your passion is everything in football, we are going to the f****** Euros! F****** come on.”
The footage has prompted praise on social media and supporters have been quick to point out Hojlund is still only 20 years old. His maturity is impressive and his stature would also have you believe he&aposs older than he actually is.
Hojlund has always been physically imposing and at times when he was younger, he struggled to control that raw power, but it&aposs a quality that makes him perfectly equipped for the unique demands of the Premier League.
He was given his United debut against Arsenal at the Emirates and Arsenal defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes finally knew they were in a contest after having the straightforward task of dealing with Anthony Martial.
It&aposs a clich to say Hojlund &aposput himself about&apos, but he made more of an impression in 20 minutes than Martial had all game and it&aposs a no-brainer to start him against Brighton on Saturday if he&aposs deemed fit enough to feature.
Hojlund&aposs link-up play immediately improved the team against Arsenal and the attacking players around him, particularly someone like Marcus Rashford who has endured a slow start to the season, should benefit from playing with him.
Hojlund relentlessly pressed Arsenal&aposs defensive line in his appearance from the bench and his urgency injected some much-needed intensity into United&aposs performance at a crucial stage of the game when victory was still up for grabs.
