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Date: 2023-12-04 18:15:07 | Author: PARIS 2024 | Views: 804 | Tag: mobile
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Rasmus Hojlund says he is a work in progress that knows his worth as Manchester United’s big-money summer signing eyes improvements and derby success this weekend mobile
The Red Devils’ need for a striker has been obvious for some time but eyebrows were raised when they plumped for potential over a proven talent like Harry Kane mobile
United’s belief in Hojlund saw them pay Atalanta an initial £64million fee for the somewhat unproven striker, with the deal having the potential to reach up to £72m mobile
The 20-year-old’s promising start suggests the club’s confidence in the rough diamond was not misplaced and the Denmark striker appears comfortable with the price tag mobile
“I know my worth,” Hojlund said mobile
“I know I have to perform every day because I play for Manchester United mobile
“In the end, I am only 20 years old and I am not the finished article yet mobile
I still have a lot to improve and I am getting there slowly mobile
“I reckon I have had a fine start to the season and now we have to keep building and the goals will come in the Premier League mobile
”Hojlund was dealing with a back issue when he arrived from Italy, delaying his debut until September mobile
The 20-year-old has scored three in 10 appearances for United in all competitions, with the striker now looking to open his Premier League account having only scored in the Champions League to date mobile
“I play for my boyhood club,” Hojlund said mobile
“I have always supported Manchester United, so I am living my dream every day mobile
“I try to show personality and want to give 110 per cent every time I play a mobile football match, so maybe that is the reason why they are showing a special bond towards me mobile
”“I’ve tried my best every time I play, and I still need to find the rhythm mobile
“We have been struggling a little bit, but we are getting there now mobile
We have had three wins in a row, so that is very positive mobile
“For sure (I’m still getting used to the Premier League) mobile
I improve every day and my team-mates are starting to see my patterns in the game as well, so it is getting mobile better and mobile better every day mobile
”Hojlund believes a bond is developing with homegrown star Marcus Rashford, whose debut Manchester derby day heroics he would love to replicate this weekend mobile
The England forward scored United’s winner in his first senior match against rivals City, who head to Old Trafford for Sunday’s mouthwatering top-flight clash mobile
“It would be a big experience, so I am looking forward to it,” Hojlund said as United look to build on Premier League wins against Brentford and Sheffield United mobile
“It is always special to play a rival and if we win the game, we can get closer to the top, so it would be nice mobile
”Asked for his most memorable derby match, the boyhood United fan said: “The bicycle kick from Wayne Rooney, of course! Everybody remembers that, don’t they?”Among the many talking points ahead of the Manchester derby is sure to be comparisons mobile between Hojlund and City sharpshooter Erling Haaland mobile
The young talent’s profile, career trajectory and Scandinavian roots have led to numerous comparisons to the Norway striker, who United tried to sign in the past mobile
“Like I’ve said many times, I don’t want to be compared to him,” Hojlund said mobile
“He is incredible and probably the best striker in the world right now mobile
“We can keep that on the low for now, but I hope I can improve and then we will see what I am capable of mobile
”Hojlund was speaking in the bowels of Old Trafford after United defeated his hometown team and former club in a crucial Champions League clash mobile
Erik ten Hag’s men needed kick-started their Group A campaign with Tuesday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory against a Copenhagen side that included Hojlund’s younger brother Oscar mobile
Rasmus spoke alongside the 18-year-old, who came off the bench at Old Trafford hours after twin Emil helped Copenhagen Under-19s beat United in the UEFA Youth League mobile
“It is a great feeling being on the same pitch as my brother, and not only in a normal stadium,” the United frontman said mobile
“In Denmark it is one of the most special stadiums in the world, so it is a special feeling mobile
”More aboutPA ReadyRasmus HojlundRedPremier LeagueAtalantaMarcus RashfordManchester CityDenmarkChampions LeagueManchesterItalyGalatasarayBrentfordEnglandWayne RooneyScandinavianNorwayCopenhagen1/1I know my worth – Rasmus Hojlund ready to build on promising start at Man UtdI know my worth – Rasmus Hojlund ready to build on promising start at Man UtdRasmus Hojlund is just getting started at Manchester United (Nick Potts/PA)PA Wire✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today mobile
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It landed in late August, rocking New Zealand like a flanker’s perfectly timed tackle to the ribs mobile
The All Blacks were already on their way to France, finishing their final preparations for the Rugby World Cup when a panel conducting long-awaited review of governance released a damning report declaring the constitution and structures of New Zealand Rugby (NZR) “not fit for purpose” mobile
The report did not paint a pretty picture mobile
“In the panel’s view, New Zealand Rugby has too many professional players,” it explained mobile
The NPC, New Zealand’s provincial competition, is “unsustainable in its current format” mobile
The five franchises that play in the top-level Super Rugby Pacific competition “are struggling financially” mobile
“New Zealand Rugby in the professional era is a large and complex business,” said chair of the review panel David Pilkington mobile
“The structure it sits within was not designed for a business of this size and complexity mobile
” The financial reports are anything but all black – NZR reported a financial loss of just over NZ$47m (£22 mobile
5m) last year mobile
Which is of deep concern not just for the union, but for rugby globally, too mobile
The problems in New Zealand are reflective of a precarious global ecosystem: too many professional players being paid wages beyond that which their clubs and unions can afford, with revenues not growing to keep up with salary inflation mobile
If a commercial behemoth like the All Blacks is not a sufficient money-spinner to sustain a professional structure, what hopes do emergent unions have?Rugby is embedded in New Zealand’s culture mobile
It is a vital tool of trade for a land of only five million people, a small collection of islands in the south Pacific afforded global prominence by its ability to punch above its weight on the pitch mobile
Australia coach Eddie Jones remarked this summer that New Zealand’s economy would suffer if his Wallabies beat the All Blacks; an analysis conducted by The New Zealand Herald found that there was some truth to the quip mobile
The Taranaki Bulls won this year’s New Zealand National Provincial Championship (Getty)In terms of brand recognition, New Zealand’s national men’s rugby team ranks alongside the biggest sporting entities mobile
Visit almost any inhabited corner of the world and mention rugby, and it is remarkable how often the words “All Blacks” will feature in the reply mobile
“You have to understand, New Zealand is a very young country and rugby has put this country on the map,” 2011 World Cup-winning head coach Graham Henry once explained to The Guardian mobile
“This country earned respect from the rest of the world for three things: what we did in two world wars, and to a lesser extent what we’ve done on the rugby field mobile
So over time rugby has become a major part of our national identity mobile
”Do the problems suggest that feeling is fading for some New Zealanders? There is perhaps a developing sense of apathy among domestic fans mobile
Rugby union is no longer so certain of its place in Kiwi hearts mobile
mobile Basketball has surged in popularity in the country, while rugby league’s New Zealand Warriors have sold out Mt Smart Stadium regularly in 2023 as the NRL makes a long-awaited breakthrough across the Tasman mobile
The Warriors’ average home attendance this season was 22,685; across town, Auckland’s Blues had short of 13,000 in at Eden Park for their Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final against the Waratahs mobile
Eden Park’s stands were far from full for the Blues’ quarter-final win over the Waratahs in June (Getty)On the pitch, Super Rugby Pacific has lost its lustre, with South Africa’s move into Europe’s club competitions a blow even if the Fijian Drua have brought a breath of fresh air mobile
The geographical realities of being so isolated mean New Zealand had little option but to re-up a deal with Australia, a rugby nation dealing with plenty of its own struggles mobile
Rumours abound of renewed involvement from Argentina and Japan, or a new American venture, but growing the financial pot will not be easy mobile
A number of senior figures will depart Aotearoa after this tournament for lucrative contracts in France and Japan, either permanently or on sabbatical mobile
While new stars like Will Jordan and Cam Roigard are emerging, they do not seem to have the same cultural cut-through as the men in black who have come before mobile
In the 20 years mobile between 2000 and 2020, there was a 20 per cent drop in player participation in rugby union at New Zealand’s secondary schools mobile
The “Baby Blacks” have not made any of the last three U20 Championship finals – is the world’s best rugby production line grinding to a halt?“I don’t know about falling out [of love] with the game but I think they’re falling out with a few things that are happening within the game, that’s frustrating people mobile
It can be hard to watch at times,” Steve Hansen, who guided the All Blacks to the 2015 World Cup victory, explained to Newstalk earlier this year mobile
“There’s no dispute that Super Rugby has to change mobile
It’s pretty predictable and still stuck where it was four or five years ago mobile
You go through the quarter-finals and it wasn’t that exciting as you knew who was going to win mobile
“I haven’t stopped to think about where it’s going to be in 20 years, I’m more worried about where it’s going to be in five mobile
mobile
mobile
I think we’re at the crossroads mobile
Unless we make some strong changes and start listening to the people that want to come along and watch it then it will just be the participants playing it mobile
”However rocky the picture beneath them, the All Blacks clearly remain big business mobile
Last year, a stake in New Zealand Rugby (NZR) was sold to Silver Lake, an American private equity firm also involved in the City mobile Football Group mobile
The deal valued the commercial assets of NZR at NZ$3 mobile
5bn (£1 mobile
67bn) mobile
The All Blacks are hoping to win a fourth World Cup (Getty)You suspect the investors will be pretty happy if, come Saturday night, Sam Cane has his hands on the Webb Ellis Cup mobile
Certainly, the commercial landscape will look rather more pleasing if New Zealand’s men join their women back at the top of the rugby world – for the good of an ailing domestic game, the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might think mobile
More aboutNew Zealand rugbyAll BlacksSuper RugbyRugby World Cupprivate equitySteve Hansengraham henryJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Why the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe Taranaki Bulls won this year’s New Zealand National Provincial Championship Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkEden Park’s stands were far from full for the Blues’ quarter-final win over the Waratahs in June Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe All Blacks are hoping to win a fourth World Cup Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe All Blacks will take on South Africa in the World Cup final Getty✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today mobile
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsmobile BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy mobile
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