Portuguese Magnifico, Bruno Fernandes, is without doubt Manchester United’s most important player.
The attacking midfielder fully understands what it means and takes to wear the Red Devils shirt, hence why he wears the captain’s armband.
Fernandes has been the heartbeat of the team ever since his first game against Wolverhampton Wanderers back in 2020, and this season, he ranked first in the squad for goals, assists, chances created, and shots in the Premier League.
However, there’s one current player who’s worth two times more than the number eight, despite only joining last summer.
What Man Utd paid for Rasmus Hojlund
Having starred for Saturn Graz in Austria, Rasmus Hojlund became an Atalanta player in 2022 and he instantly showed his class.
Despite starting just 20 matches in Serie A and playing 57 minutes per game on average, the Danish striker scored an impressive nine goals and was a handful every single time he stepped onto the field.
Because of his quick rise to success and his profile, Man Utd made Hojlund a red, signing him for a huge £72m to lead the line last season.
The then-20-year-old signed a five-year deal at the club with an option to extend for a further 12 months, and based on his debut season, he’ll have a good chance of starting up front for years to come.
Hojlund’s transfer value in 2024
Despite initially struggling to adapt to the tempo of the Premier League, Hojlund’s first season at Old Trafford was extremely promising.
The number 11 hadn’t scored in the league until Boxing Day against Aston Villa, but he’d already netted five in the Champions League, which proved that it was only a matter of time until he started thriving.
The 21-year-old ended the campaign with 16 goals across all competitions, often playing through fatigue due to the lack of depth in the striker role.
There are plenty of aspects that Hojlund can work on, which is the case for any youngster, but he’s certainly shown that he’s a deadly finisher when provided with service.
Rasmus Hojlund
£85m
Alejandro Garnacho
£85m
Marcus Rashford
£68m
Diogo Dalot
£51m
Kobbie Mainoo
£51m
Bruno Fernandes
£42.5m
As you can see, according to CIES’ Football Observatory, Hojlund is now Man United’s joint-highest valued player alongside 19-year-old Alejandro Garnacho.
This also means that the centre-forward is currently worth two times more than Fernandes, who scored ten goals and provided eight assists in the Premier League last season.
For context, Hojlund is now valued as joint-third amongst Premier League strikers, only now worth less than the Manchester City duo of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.
The fact that he was signed for such a large fee and his value has risen since proves just how talented Hojlund is and also how much he’s impressed, with football creator Liam Canning even calling him “the real deal.”
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe targeting a centre forward this summer as a backup to Hojlund, he should continue to develop next time out, and therefore, his worth should continue to increase.
Man United have truly hit the jackpot by signing Hojlund, and it looks as though they’ve finally found a permanent solution for the striker problem that’s haunted them for over a decade.
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