Man Utd vs Brighton: Ten Hag ready to unleash star with a remarkable €50m value surge in just one year

Rasmus Hojlund is set to confirm his status as one of football’s quickest rising stars on Saturday when he starts for Manchester United against Brighton in the Premier League.

The Dane has already had a brief chance to sample England’s top flight, getting 23 minutes of the Red Devils’ 3-1 defeat against Arsenal before the international break, but this will be his first opportunity to start after completing a €75 million move from Atalanta late in the summer transfer window.

His rise has been quite staggering.

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When the 20-year-old moved from Sturm Graz to Atalanta only a year ago for €20, he possessed an Expected Transfer Value (xTV) of €1.5m.

The Serie A side, though, had spotted the potential he had shown in scoring six times the previous season in the Austrian Bundesliga and pounced.

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The Italians nearly quadrupled their money in the space of 12 months, while Hojlund’s valuation has jumped by an even more staggering degree. Now the youngster has an xTV of €52m – an increase of more than €50m on the figure barely 12 months ago.

Indeed, he is already one of Man Utd’s most valuable assets, coming in behind only Bruno Fernandes (€64.3m), Marcus Rashford (€62.3m) and Mason Mount (€61.5m).

Will Hojlund play against Brighton?

Hojlund is virtually certain to play against Brighton, despite only coming off the bench for Denmark against Finland in a midweek Euro 2024 qualifier.

Manager Erik ten Hag is short of attacking options, with Antony and Jadon Sancho both frozen out of the team. Marcus Rashford is, therefore, liable to play wide, leaving Hojlund as the only viable option at centre-forward given the recent injury issues of Anthony Martial.

The young Dane, who himself has been struggling with a back problem, should therefore start for Man Utd.