Atalanta’s rising star Rosmus Hojlund has been a hot target of Premier League giants Manchester United since the transfer window opened.
But what has been attracting equal interest as that of his football skills on the pitch is his long physique and height.
According to the grapevine, 20-year old is close to inking his deal with the Red Devils with United coach Erik Ten Hag reportedly said to be a big admirer of the Danish superstar.
But what has set the tongue wagging in social media as well as among football fans is the height of the centre forward, who is being compared with Manchester City star Erling Haaland.
While some claim, he is 6 feet three inches (190 cms), there are others who dispute the claim saying he a tad small and is around 185 cms (6.06 feet).
But irrespective of the legacy of height and stature, there is no doubt about his talent as he largely relies on his height and physique to pump in goals, one of the key attributes which United is looking for as the new season starts.
After making waves for Atalanta in Serie A, as Hojlund edges close to a maiden stint in Premier League, comparisons with Haaland are growing day by day.
There are striking similarities between the two — both of them are tall and just like Haaland, Hojlund has a similar Scandinavian descen and is also a No.9 who can play as a single striker upfront.
“I see parallels between myself and Erling Haaland,” Hojlund himself had had said upon his arrival in Serie A. “He is fast, left-footed, tall, has a good nose for goal, and is a classy finisher. His mentality is also completely insane,” added Hojlund as comparisons between the tall duo sounds reasonable to the fans.
Apart from his height, it is his quick pace and agility that has seen him drawn him parallels with the Norwegian star.
As per speedsb.com stats, Hojlund has a top speed of 27.45 kms/hr (17.06 m/hr).
“He is a very fast player, he does the 100 meters in less than 11 seconds. For his height, he has a low center of gravity and an incredible stride frequency,” remarked Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini in awe of his striker.
Hojlund has numbers to back him. His 6.42 touches per 90 minutes of play in the attacking third is very impressive and his 8.40 received progressive passes back this up and places him in the top five per cent of centre-forwards.
Standing at his reported height of 6 feet and 3 inches, Hojlund is regularly able to rival defenders at bay with his physique t the same time being able to hold them off when receiving the ball, the necessary attributes that is required to excel at the Old Trafford.
How effectively Hojumnd is using his height to his advantage can be gauged the goal he scored in the Serie A tie against Bologna, when he exploded into space and dinked the goalkeeper effortlessly.
As the debate over his height and speed continues, one thing is assured. He is a goal-scoring machine and for that he used his height to great use.
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