Rasmus Hojlund offered Man Utd escape route after coaches 'lose patience' with star

Napoli could offer Manchester United frontman Rasmus Hojlund a way out of the club as his goal struggles continue.

The Dane was signed by Erik ten Hag almost two years ago but has failed to develop as many hoped. More than £70million was spent to land Hojlund from Atalanta and there was an acceptance that he was far from the finished article.

However he was expected to be further along in his development than he is and United, given their financial situation, could opt to cash in on the 22-year-old with the Naples outfit waiting in the wings.

Napoli would be eyeing a cut-price deal, which means Hojlund may become the latest player who United have to accept a loss on. The Italians have a working relationship with those in Manchester, having struck a deal for Scott McTominay back in the summer and TalkSport understands they could return.

Hojlund has just two Premier League goals so far this campaign and has not scored in his last 16 games for the club, but did impress when he was at Atalanta and Napoli boss Antonio Conte may believe he can get him back to that level.

Frustration with Hojlund is mounting, especially among several members of Ruben Amorim's coaching staff in Manchester. The Dane's blank away at Everton on Saturday prompted more criticism and Hojlund was hauled off in place of 17-year-old Chido Obi.

Amorim's patience wore thin at Goodison Park and that doesn't appear to be an isolated incident among the coaching ticket. It is reported that one coach was especially critical of the 22-year-old's performance during the recent loss away to Tottenham, where the team, again, failed to score.

Hojlund took until Boxing Day in his debut season to score his first Premier League goal as he continued to fire blanks domestically.

Scoring goals has been a major problem for the Red Devils and their recruitment has not aided that. They looked to the Italian top flight again in the summer when they bought in Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna, but he's failed to live up to expectations and could also leave in the summer.

Amorim has consistently been linked with a move for Viktor Gyokeres since leaving Sporting Lisbon. He could be beyond them though, especially if they miss out on Europe, and the likes of Benjamin Sesko have been touted as potential targets come the summer.

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