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Manchester United have rising striker named finalist for prestigious under-21 award

By Evan Curnew

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 7: Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United in action during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brentford FC at Old Trafford on October 7, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 7: Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United in action during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brentford FC at Old Trafford on October 7, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images) /
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Manchester United originally took a lot of flak for their signing of Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta this summer. While the Dane has yet to bag his first in-league play, he has only started three matches in the Premier League so far. Hojlund has shown his quality in the Champions League though, scoring against Bayern Munich and bagging a brace versus Galatasaray. Albeit those goals came with two losses for United, the rising star is proving that he can be a top performer under Erik ten Hag.

At just 20 years old, Hojlund’s best seasons are yet to come, but that does not mean his efforts now aren’t being recognized. For his play in 2023, Rasmus Hojlund has been nominated as a finalist for the Golden Boy Award. First created by the Italian paper Tuttosport, the Golden Boy Award is annually given to the player deemed the best of the under-21 category. In its modern edition, many more papers around Europe help with the voting. Hojlund is Manchester United’s only nominee this year for the award. Manchester United is tied with Barcelona for the most awards won by a single club. Wayne Rooney (2004), Anderson (2008) and Anthony Martial (2015) have all received a Golden Boy Award.

In 2023 to date, Hojlund has scored 15 goal contributions between Atalanta and Manchester United. He’s also netted 6 goals in 8 games for Denmark in 2023, between Nations League and Euros qualifying.

The Danish sensation’s rise to prominence has been an interesting follow, to say the least. He left FC Copenhagen without ever really showing domination at the pro level before heading to Sturm Graz in Austria. Just 21 games with the club was enough for Atalanta to break the bank on the player. Despite 9 Serie A goals, United scouts have obviously seen something they like about Hojlund and will hope he lives up to the price tag.

Hojlund is joined by Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion) and Levi Cowill (Chelsea) as the other Premier League-nominated players.

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