Antonio Conte Slams Ruben Amorim over Rasmus Hojlund
JAKARTA - Napoli manager Antonio Conte has taken a swipe at former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim by claiming the arrogance of his previous coach has hampered Rasmus Hojlund's development as a striker.
Hojlund joined Conte's Napoli on loan in September 2025. The Serie A club plans to make the Danish player permanent in order to strengthen the team for the Champions League knockout phase.
Moreover, there is also a mandatory option in the clause, which means that Hojlund must be permanent if Napoli qualify for the Champions League next season.
The 22-year-old joined Manchester United for a £64 million transfer fee from Atalanta in 2023, scoring 26 goals in 95 appearances. He was often overlooked by Amorim during his time at Old Trafford and did not feature in the first four Premier League games of that season.
After spending a loan period, Hojlund started his career at Napoli well. He scored nine goals in his first 20 appearances.
However, he has not scored again since netting twice against Cremonese on December 28, 2025.
"Some young coaches are arrogant and don't want to adapt. They see a young striker having difficulties. Instead of training him, they blame him."
"They always complain and blame everyone but themselves. The point is, everything is given to them easily," said Conte.
Napoli's sporting director, Giovanni Manna, said he considered Hojlund's permanent transfer from Manchester United a formality.
"We did everything we could to sign him. There are more famous clubs that are interested, but the will is very important."
"We are proud of that. There is an option to buy and an obligation to buy if we qualify for the Champions League. The player considers himself a Napoli player, as do we. This is very important," Manna told Corriere dello Sport.
Napoli are in third place in Serie A, six points behind leaders Inter Milan. Closest, they will face Juventus on Monday, January 26, 2026, early morning WIB, after visiting Copenhagen's home in the Champions League, Wednesday, January 21, 2025, early morning WIB.