According to a report by Meteo on Wednesday October 28, 2026, after Rasmus Hojlund's disappointing time at Old Trafford, Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has spoken out against the club's decision to sell the Danish striker, claiming that Hojlund was not adequately supported by his teammates.

After Atalanta were unsuccessful in their pursuit of Harry Kane, they signed Hojlund from the club in the summer of 2023 for around £72 million. The Danish international had promising early results but has since struggled to keep up his scoring pace.

After netting 16 goals in his debut season, the striker struggled in his second campaign, scoring just ten. United loaned him out to Napoli in 2025 as a result of his poor performance in the Premier League; in June of that year, the Italian club officially signed him.

Subsequently, United replaced Hojlund with Benjamin Sesko, who they acquired from RB Leipzig. The Slovenian forward's injury history, though, has limited his playing time and cast doubt on the club's decision-making abilities.

The decision to let Hojlund leave has been a point of contention for Schmeichel and United. The former goalkeeper criticized the circumstances of the striker's departure and once again defended him during his most recent appearance on The Overlap.

Lars Hojlund was a goal-scoring machine. Schmeichel believes the Danish forward has what it takes to be a goal machine for the rest of his career, and he says as much.

Despite Hojlund's sporadic goal scoring, the former United captain maintained that nobody should have ever underestimated his total scoring ability. The striker's dedication to the club was also emphasized, as he had grown up cheering for Manchester United.

According to Schmeichel, Hojlund's problems stemmed in part from the lack of support he received from his teammates. The former goalkeeper claims that the young forward had a much harder time with his assignment because some United players were hesitant to pass to him.

"He had players there who very openly would not even pass it to him," Schmeichel asserted, implying that Hojlund necessitated more effective coaching and more encouragement to realize his immense potential.

He further cast doubt on United's hiring practices, noting that the club benched a promising young striker in favor of Sesko, who has struggled to maintain consistent performance due to his chronic back problems.

"What a remarkable player. Now that we've brought in Red Bull's head of recruitment, what are we to do? With his player in tow, Schmeichel said.

When Hojlund returned to Italy for the first time, he played for Napoli and scored 16 goals. Despite only appearing in eleven games so far this season, he has scored twice, and he is drawing more and more comparisons to Sesko.

The question of whether Manchester United made the correct choice by selling Hojlund instead of investing more in his development has been revived by Schmeichel's remarks.

The striker's play in Italy may lend credence to claims that the club was hasty to release him.