Rasmus Højlund

Rasmus Højlund
Rasmus Winther Højlund (born 4 February 2003) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the Denmark national team.
Højlund graduated from Copenhagen's youth academy, making his first-team debut for the club aged 17 in October 2020. After scoring five goals in 32 appearances for Copenhagen, he joined Austrian club Sturm Graz in January 2022. Later that year, he was signed by Atalanta for €17 million.
Højlund played youth international football for Denmark from under-16 to under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in September 2022.
Club career
Copenhagen
Højlund was born in Copenhagen and grew up in Hørsholm, Capital Region. He played youth football for and Brøndby, before joining Copenhagen's youth system. He made his professional debut for Copenhagen at the age of 17 in October 2020. During the 2021–22 season, he made his debut in European competitions, contributing five goals in the UEFA Europa Conference League across qualification rounds and the tournament proper.
Sturm Graz
In January 2022, Højlund joined Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz for a reported fee of €1.8 million. He scored 12 goals in 21 games across all competitions during the remainder of the 2021–22 season and the start of the 2022–23 season.
Atalanta
On 27 August 2022, Højlund signed with Serie A club Atalanta in a deal worth a reported €17 million. He scored his first goal for Atalanta on 5 September in a 2–0 away win over Monza. Initially confined to a substitute role at the beginning of the season, he carved out a place for himself in the squad due to the poor form and injuries of usual starter, Duván Zapata. In January 2023, he went on to deliver several convincing performances, notably scoring four goals in four consecutive games.
Manchester United
On 29 July 2023, Premier League side Manchester United agreed a deal to sign Højlund from Atalanta for an initial £64 million fee plus £8 million in performance related add-ons, with the player agreeing a five year deal with the option of an extra year. He was then announced officially as a United player on 5 August 2023, subject to international clearance.
Højlund made his debut on 4 September 2023, replacing Anthony Martial in the 67th minute of a Premier League match against Arsenal, which ended in a 3–1 defeat. On 20 September, Højlund scored his first goal for the club in a 4–3 away defeat against Bayern Munich in the opening match of the 2023–24 Champions League. In United's second Champions League fixture against Galatasaray at Old Trafford, he scored twice as United lost 3–2, and was named man of the match despite the loss.
International career
In September 2022, Højlund played his first international matches for Denmark against Croatia and France during the UEFA Nations League. On 23 March 2023, he made his first international start, scoring a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Finland during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, his first goals for his country.
Personal life
His younger twin brothers, Emil and Oscar, are both footballers with his former club, Copenhagen.
Career statistics
Club
International
Denmark score listed first, score column indicates score after each Højlund goal.
Honours
Copenhagen
Danish Superliga: 2021–22
Sturm Graz
Austrian Cup: 2022–23
References
External links
Profile at the Manchester United website
2003 births
Living people
Danish men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Boldklubben af 1893 players
Brøndby IF players
F.C. Copenhagen players
Holbæk B&I players
SK Sturm Graz players
Atalanta BC players
Manchester United F.C. players
Danish Superliga players
Austrian Football Bundesliga players
Serie A players
Denmark men's youth international footballers
Denmark men's under-21 international footballers
Denmark men's international footballers
Danish expatriate men's footballers
Danish expatriate sportspeople in Austria
Danish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Danish expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Austria
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Footballers from Copenhagen
People from Hørsholm Municipality