Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Erling Haaland, Rasmus Hojlund, Manchester City, Manchester United, Napoli, Kevin De Bruyne, Champions League
Ryan Smart
Topics: Erling Haaland, Rasmus Hojlund, Manchester City, Manchester United, Napoli, Kevin De Bruyne, Champions League
Erling Haaland has responded to Rasmus Hojlund's post after the Napoli striker scored a brace in his side's 2-1 Champions League win over Sporting.
Hojlund netted either side of half-time for Antonio Conte's side in what were his first European goals for his new club.
Both goals were assisted by former Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, with the Belgian playing an inch-perfect through ball for Hojlund to run on to for his first.
The second assist was a whipped cross that saw Hojlund get to the ball first ahead of Sporting goalkeeper Rui Silva and head home.
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After the match, the Dane described De Bruyne as an 'exceptional talent' and spoke of his enjoyment at playing for Napoli, where he is on loan from Manchester United.
Meanwhile, he captioned an Instagram post: "'Hojlund scores twice in the Champions League after two assists from Kevin De Bruyne' was not on my 2025 bingo card."
De Bruyne left City last summer on a free transfer, signing for Napoli after interest from across Europe, Asia and the United States.
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Prior to Wednesday night, he had been scoring rather than assisting, netting three goals in his first five Serie A appearances.
His former team-mate Haaland has been appearing to keep a close eye on his progress in Italy - and his latest comment on Hojlund's Instagram speaks volumes.
The striker tagged De Bruyne in a comment underneath Hojlund's post, and simply wrote: "Feed him."
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"Hojlund has a lot of quality and as a striker, you need that smell of goals," De Bruyne told reporters post-match.
"He is growing a lot and is very similar to Haaland. They both like to attack the depth. Maybe Hojlund drops deep more, but I think he needs to attack the space a lot because he can score and give us a big hand."