Explained: Why Manchester United couldn't sell Rasmus Hojlund's shirt for over a month
Manchester United reportedly failed to sell jerseys with Rasmus Hojlund's name because they did not have the Danish letter 'ø'.
'Hojlund' is the popularized version of his name in England but it is spelled with 'ø' in his native language and is also pronounced differently from the English letter 'o'. He signed for the club in early August from Atalanta for a fee of £72 million and was unveiled before the 3-1 friendly over RC Lens on August 5.
However, according to the Daily Mail (h/t ThePeoplesPerson), the club failed to sell Hojlund's shirts in the official stores as recently as Friday (September 8). They are expected to give a further update on the situation on Wednesday (September 13).
It also took a while for the Denmark international to be handed his shirt number. It was only in September that the club handed him his preferred No. 11 shirt after Mason Greenwood left for Getafe on loan.
Hojlund finally took the pitch in Manchester United colors in his team's 3-1 league loss against Arsenal on September 3, showing glimpses of what he brings as a quality centre-forward. He came on in the 67th minute, making a return from a back injury that kept him out for the games in August.
The 20-year-old is expected to lead the Red Devils' line under Erik ten Hag when he returns to full-match fitness.
Denmark manager has given reason behind Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund not starting games this month
Manchester United's Ramus Hojlund is currently on international duty but did not start either of his team's UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches this month.
Hojlund came off as a second-half substitute in Denmark's 4-0 win against San Marino and a 1-0 victory over Finland. The player has only just returned from a back injury so manager Kasper Hjulmand is managing his playing time carefully.
Speaking before his team's win against Finland on Sunday (10 September), Hjulmand told Danish outlet Bold.dk (h/t Manchester Evening News):
"Hojlund hasn't had a full pre-season, and he only trained for a week before he got a start against Arsenal. So it is not expected that he can play 90 minutes at full steam..."
Hojlund is currently the top scorer in the 2024 UEFA Euros qualifiers, scoring six goals — as many as Belgium's Romelu Lukaku and Manchester United teammate Scott McTominay. The Danes are currently second in Group H, tied on points with group-leaders Slovenia after six games.