Out-on-loan Rasmus Hojlund was left dejected after Napoli’s Champions League exit as he talked up former Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho and Old Trafford-linked Cole Palmer. Antonio Conte’s squad failed to secure qualification for the play-off rounds of Europe’s premier competition following a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea in Naples.
Hojlund maintained his excellent scoring streak for the Serie A club, finding the net with a crucial second goal which restored Napoli’s first-half advantage. Nevertheless, the west London outfit rallied back, with Joao Pedro’s brace proving decisive in securing Chelsea‘s passage to the round of 16, while other results conspired against the Italian side, sealing their elimination from the tournament at the league phase stage.
The Denmark international, currently on loan from United until the campaign’s conclusion, expressed his disappointment at the Champions League exit and noted how Chelsea’s introduction of players like Garnacho and Palmer tilted the match in the Premier League club’s favour.
He said: “It’s frustrating but we played against a great opponent today. Of course, we wanted more out of this game and we wanted to win so we could go through, but it’s not [just] in this game we should have got our points.
“We had a couple of games against Copenhagen and Frankfurt where we should probably have done better. Yeah, completely agree. There was good energy in the team.
“I don’t want to make any excuses, but we are very short on the team right now and you could probably see that a little bit in the second half. They put on Garnacho and Cole Palmer – and these sorts of players which are incredible.
“We’re struggling a little bit with the energy after the 60th minute.” The 22-year-old has netted three times in seven Champions League outings during a challenging European campaign for Napoli. Hojlund has managed a further six strikes and two assists in Serie A as Conte’s squad battles for Champions League qualification.
Palmer has emerged at the centre of a possible – and sensational – transfer to United. It was reported that the Chelsea star had become homesick in the capital and was eyeing a move back to the north west with the England international linked with a move across Manchester to Old Trafford.
However, head coach Liam Rosenior has reiterated that Chelsea consider Palmer as ‘untouchable’. He said: “Cole’s an incredible player like [Moises Caicedo] sitting next to me and many players in the group. I’m not surprised at the timing [of the rumours].
“A new manager comes in and all of a sudden there’s people are [looking to] unsettle. It’s not true. Cole’s here, he’s very happy and I can’t wait to see him on the pitch. There’s no reason for an assurance [from Chelsea’s directors]. It’s so unrealistic. It’s come from nowhere, there’s nothing in it. There’s no reason to have the conversation, that’s where I’m at.
“Cole is very happy. We’ve had numerous conversations with him on how we can make this team better, how he can improve and how I can help him – because he loves being here and he wants to be a Chelsea player. You can’t stop speculation, but some speculation is so far from the truth, there’s not point having any discussion about it.”