Napoli head coach Antonio Conte has appeared to aim a dig at former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim, suggesting arrogance from previous coaches has hindered Rasmus Højlund’s development as a striker.
Højlund joined Conte’s Napoli on a season-long loan last summer in a move that the Serie A club are obligated to make permanent should they qualify for the Champions League.
The Dane joined United in a £64 million ($85.79m) deal from Atalanta in 2023, scoring 26 goals in 95 appearances. He was frequently overlooked by Amorim during his time in charge at Old Trafford and did not feature in any of the club’s four first four Premier League fixtures of the season.
Højlund started well at Napoli, scoring nine goals in his first 20 appearances but he has not found the back of the net since scoring a brace at Cremonese on Dec. 28.
“Some young coaches nowadays are arrogant and don’t want to adapt. They see a young striker struggling, and instead of training him, they blame him,” Conte told a news conference on Friday ahead of the weekend win over Sassuolo.
“They always complain and blame everyone but themselves, because everything is handed to them on a silver platter.”
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Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna has said he considers Højlund’s permanent transfer from Manchester United a “formality.”
“We did everything we could to sign him,” Manna told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.
“There were more storied clubs interested, but his will was crucial, and we are proud of it. There’s an option to buy and an obligation to buy if we qualify for the Champions League.
“The player considers himself a Napoli player, and the same goes for us. This is extremely important.”
Napoli are third in Serie A, six points behind league leaders Internazionale and face Juventus on Sunday.
