Manchester United wingback Patrick Dorgu revealed that there was a sense of “shock” when it was revealed that Rasmus Højlund would be joining Napoli this summer.

The Danish striker had certainly made his desire to stay at Old Trafford abundantly apparent behind closed doors and in public. “I have a contract until 2030, so I expect to play for Manchester United,” Højlund huffed in early June.

That stance didn’t shift even after the summer arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, who joined from Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively for a combined £133.5 million ($176.2 million). “My plan is very clear, that is for me to stay and fight for my spot, whatever happens,” Højlund stubbornly insisted at the end of July.

“Competition is fine with me. It sharpens me. I’m more than ready.”

Yet, Ruben Amorim didn’t even give the 22-year-old a fighting chance. Højlund was dropped from United’s matchday squads and reluctantly appeared to accept his fate once the club paid an initial £66.3 million for Slovenian striker Benjamin Šeško in August.

Dorgu had already seen his Danish compatriot Christian Eriksen head for pastures new as his contract was allowed to expire in June, but the departure of Højlund proved to be more of a surprise even for one of the player’s close friends. “That’s how it is in football,” Dorgu told assembled media ahead of Denmark’s World Cup qualifier with Scotland on Friday.

“You never know when it’s your turn to move on. We knew it would happen to Christian, but it was perhaps a bigger shock that Rasmus had to move on. I talked to him a lot during the process and could sense which way it was going. Hopefully, we will now see each other every time on the national team.”

Upon his arrival at Napoli, the reigning Serie A champions, Højlund conceded: “I come with a lot to prove.” The Dane will spend the current campaign on loan with Antonio Conte’s side before his arrival is made permanent next summer for a pre-agreed fee of £38.2 million.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former Man Utd Teammate Reveals Squad Reaction to Rasmus Hojlund Exit.

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