Rasmus Hojlund To Be Dropped Against Roma As Danish International’s Goal Drought Continues

Napoli manager Antonio Conte is set to make a huge decision over Rasmus Hojlund in the upcoming league clash against Roma.

Rasmus Hojlund To Be Dropped Against Roma

Rasmus Hojlund has failed to meet expectations during his opening months as a Napoli player and the Danish international is likely to be benched on November 30th.

The 22-year-old has failed to score in his last six appearances for Napoli and matters were made worse during the Partenopei’s 2-0 win over Qarabag in the Champions League.

Hojlund had the chance to end his poor run from the penalty spot after Giovanni Di Lorenzo was tripped inside the area, but the Dane’s effort was kept out by the Qarabag keeper.

This, alongside a poor performance overall, saw Hojlund be substituted after 75 minutes and Antonio Conte is reportedly unimpressed with the striker’s form this season.

Napoli face a huge task in their next Serie A clash, as the champions face table-topping Roma and Hojlund is expected to be watching from the sidelines.

Roma have been dealt a major blow ahead of the match, as Manu Kone suffered an injury during the Giallorossi’s Europa League victory over Midtjylland and is set to be out for a lengthy period.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side go into the match with huge momentum after winning four consecutive matches across all competitions and Conte will need to field his best side to claim all-three points.

Hojlund’s performances have not only weakened his grip on the striker position, but the Partenopei are also considering their deal to sign the Dane permanently.

Napoli Reconsider Rasmus Hojlund Deal

Hojlund joined the Serie A champions on loan during the summer transfer window after falling out-of-favor at Manchester United and this deal included an obligation to buy.

Napoli will have to pay €44 million for the 22-year-old if they qualify for the Champions League this season and it’s hard to imagine Conte’s side outside of the top-four.

Bringing in players from Manchester United has been a success for Napoli in recent years with Scott McTominay winning the Serie A MVP award last season and Napoli are also interested in Marcus Rashford as the Spanish media continue to hound the Englishman.

However, the Partenopei are now questioning their decision to bring in another Red Devils star on a permanent basis and Napoli are looking for options to pull-out of the Hojlund deal.

Last season, Chelsea paid Manchester United €5m to send Jadon Sancho back to Old Trafford despite the Blues meeting the obligation-to-by clause.

Napoli did not include this penalty fee in their deal with Manchester United, meaning the Partenopei would have no choice but to sign Hojlund if they qualify for the UCL.

The Serie A side could offload the Danish international at the beginning of next season if performances do not improve, especially as Romelu Lukaku nears a return from injury.