Rasmus Hojlund has officially joined Manchester United, and he might be feeling relieved to escape some unusual rules imposed on him during his time at his former club, Atalanta.
The Denmark international has become the Red Devils’ most expensive striker ever, with a hefty £72 million ($90 million) transfer fee as he completes his high-profile move to Old Trafford.
Now, he’s living his dream in England and is eager to excel under the guidance of Dutch coach Erik ten Hag.
In Manchester, he should have more freedom compared to his time in Italy, where fellow countryman Joakim Maehle shed light on the strict regime enforced by Gian Piero Gasperini at Serie A club Atalanta.
Maehle has told Tipsbladet of a bizarre set of rules that included Hojlund being barred from driving into training with his team-mates:
“You don’t feel like a person. You feel like a number. You have no relationship with the coach. He would stand there and blame someone for something strange. For example, he was furious when Rasmus and he came to training by car together. He didn’t want us to drive together.
“Because then we could sit and talk together on the way to training, and enjoy ourselves. He didn’t want that, and I got scolded even if it had been agreed with the club because he [Hojlund] had no driver. I don’t know if it’s typical Italian, but some things make you angry and tired in the long run.”
Maehle has also been on the move this summer, leaving Atalanta for Wolfsburg, meaning that he and Hojlund can forget all about the odd restrictions put in place by Gasperini and focus on enjoying their football again.