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Exclusive: Why FC Copenhagen excited about twin brothers of Man Utd star Hojlund

While Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund turned out for Denmark once again during the recent international break, his two younger brothers featured in the squad for the Danish U19 side in games against Portugal and Germany.

Just like Rasmus once did, Emil and Oskar play their football at FC Copenhagen, with the former a striker like his older brother scoring four goals in the UEFA Youth League this season. Oskar, meanwhile, is a midfielder who was part of the senior squad during the Champions League.

“All three are fantastic boys but also completely different. Even the twins, very different types when it comes to their character and their football, but they all share an enormous mental robustness," Copenhagen's Director of Development, Sune Smith-Nielsen, tells Tribalfootball.com in a meeting at the club's FCK headquarters.

Expectations are high for Oskar and Emil Højlund, just like they were for Rasmus, but how far they can go? Sune Smith-Nielsen is reluctant to predict.

“At the age between 17 and 21 some players take leaps which you just can't predict and it is not just a matter of game time. Take our Elias Jelert as an example. He reached an age where he had to work out what kind of footballer he was. He went from playing on the wing to right-back. And that's where his development exploded," Sune Smith-Nielsen says of the 20-year-old who received a call-up to the Danish international squad for the friendlies in March.

Given his success with United - and before then Sturm Graz and Atalanta - Rasmus Højlund naturally serves as role-model for both his twin-brothers and other talents at FC Copenhagen.

“But so does Jonas Wind at Wolfsburg who is an utterly different type compared to Rasmus. What he has, Rasmus hasn't and the other way around, and who knows, they might form a future partnership for the Danish national side," Smith-Nielsen adds.

Perhaps with Emil as back-up while Oskar rules the midfield? Who knows what the future holds for the highly talented Højlund brothers.

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Jacob Hansen

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