Napoli hopes to make Hojlund a 'complete striker'
Napoli assistant Cristian Stellini wants Rasmus Hojlund's loan spell with the Partenopei to end with the Denmark international moulding into a complete striker.
Hojlund joined the defending Serie A champion on loan from Manchester United in the summer and has adapted well to life back in Italy after leaving Atalanta back in 2023.
The 22-year-old has scored nine goals in 23 appearances in all competitions for Napoli, the latest of which came in its Supercoppa Italiana semi-final win over AC Milan.
Napoli is third in Serie A after its 2-2 draw with current league leader Inter Milan at the weekend, and is well within the mix to seal a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Should it qualify for UEFA's flagship competition, it will have the option to make Hojlund's loan move a permanent one for a reported €44 million ($76.7 million) transfer fee.
Hojlund has enjoyed regular game time after a serious injury to Romelu Lukaku in pre-season, and Stellini thinks the Dane has led the line well in his absence.
"When he arrived, we had started the season and had a lot of games to play, so as he is an international, we barely saw him in practice in September and October," Stellini said.
"Despite that, he put in so much effort and humility, he works every day to improve, and we'd love to make him into a complete striker.
"He has a long way to go, but is already doing very well."
Napoli returns to Serie A action on Thursday (AEDT), with 14th-placed Parma the visitors to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Antonio Conte's team is in action in the earlier game, with the chance to close the gap to Inter at the top of the table to just a point ahead of its league clash with lowly Lecce.
During the draw with Inter, Conte, who was sent off and is set for a two-game touchline ban, opted to make just two changes to Inter's five in the contest.
Sam Beukema was replaced by Noa Lang in the 78th minute, while Pasquale Mazzocchi came on in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage-time for Matteo Politano.
"We are in good physical shape, and have been for a while now," Stellini added on the reasoning behind that decision.
"We haven't had the options to rotate much, and we must have a little more patience with that, but getting back twice against Inter at San Siro is not easy for anyone.
"I think we deserved the draw, had a very strong start to the second half, were convinced that we could do damage.
"We're satisfied with the character, determination and the quality that we showed this evening."
