Hansen's first year abroad was spent at Huddersfield Town, which narrowly avoided relegation from the top-flight 1948–49 Football League First Division. In 1949, Hansen moved to Italy to play for Atalanta Bergamo, and received a transfer fee of approximately DKK150,000. At Atalanta, he played alongside fellow Danish Olympic footballer Jørgen Leschly Sørensen. Hansen scored 18 goals in 37 games, as Atalanta finished in eight place of the 1949–50 Serie A season.