Brotherly love and competitiveness: Rasmus won't be the only Hojlund in the next Manchester United game

The presence of sibling rivalry is familiar, but when three brothers arrive within just 23 months of each other, the competition takes on an even more intense character. This was certainly the case for the children of Anders Hojlund and Kirsten Winther.

The eldest, who we know the most, Rasmus, was born in February 2003. The twins, Oscar and Emil, born in January 2005, were determined to outperform each other, often taking up more of their father's time than necessary. Anders, a former footballer in the Danish leagues, instilled a love for the sport in his sons and was determined to help them excel. He would leave the house with all three in tow, equipped with cones and balls, ready to conduct training sessions. However, their competitiveness often led to splitting the training into separate hours: one for Rasmus, one for Oscar, and one for Emil.

This investment in time and effort is now proving to be a wise one. The memories of training sessions in their hometown of Horsholm, just north of the Danish capital, Copenhagen, are becoming increasingly significant as the Hojlund brothers prepare to take the field at Old Trafford. In their group stage fixture on Tuesday night, 20-year-old Rasmus is almost certain to start for Manchester United, and 18-year-old Oscar is likely to be on the bench at the very least for the visiting team. Emil, who is more likely to participate in the UEFA Youth League game at Leigh Sports Village earlier in the day, has made his debut for the senior side this season and was twice on the bench in Champions League qualifying.

There is a possibility, although not guaranteed, that either at Old Trafford or the Parken Stadium, the three brothers could make history by sharing the same pitch in a Champions League game. Regardless of that record, their journey is remarkable. Rasmus, who was signed by Manchester United from Atalanta, may attract most of the attention, but those who have worked with all three believe that the younger brothers were equally, if not more, talented as youngsters.

Christian Mouroux, the sporting director of Horsholm Usserod Idraetsklub (HUI), the local club where all three began their careers, stated that many scouts say the two younger brothers are at least as talented as Rasmus. While Rasmus spent around six years at Horsholm before leaving at the age of 12, Oscar and Emil stayed for an extra year. According to Mouroux, during their development and the subsequent years, it was the twins who were regarded as the brightest talents.

"All of them have been very well advanced compared to the average, but the two younger brothers were, compared to Rasmus at the same age, in front of him."

Their parents were actively involved in the club, with Kirsten serving as a team administrator at Horsholm and Anders as a coach. They still live near the club and use its facilities for off-season training. Although they played in different teams, Mourox noted the competitive nature of the brothers in the training sessions organized by their father.

"Anders has had times where he has bought the balls and the cones and all of that stuff with all three of them, but often they end up making it so they go with him one-on-one because if it's all three of them, they make it too competitive."

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The competitive advantage and family games didn't end there. Anders, a carpenter by profession, converted the basement of their family home into an indoor football pitch. This allowed the Hojlund boys to continue playing even when the weather outside made the pitches unplayable. Rasmus, Oscar, and Emil would take a ball downstairs to play against each other, honing their technical skills and competitive instincts.

Despite their competitiveness, the three brothers share a close bond, as exemplified by a story from their school days. When Rasmus would take cake to school for his birthday or things like that, he would hand out a piece to all of his classmates but he would always make sure there were two pieces left for his little brothers. They've always been together, but whenever it's football, they've always been competitive.

All three boys played one year above their age group at their first club, but their reasons for doing so differed. For Rasmus, it was obvious because he was very physically developed early on. For him it was a natural thing to train with the boys who were one year older than him. For Emil and especially Oscar, who was the small one, it wasn't because he was physically advanced, but the two younger brothers were a little bit more technically developed than the other kids.

Oscar, who can play as a holding midfielder or a box-to-box player, is the one most likely to face Rasmus at Old Trafford. Emil, on the other hand, is a forward who can play out wide or through the middle. For Mouroux, Oscar, though smaller in stature, is the most impressive with his tenacity and fearlessness.

"My personal favourite is Oscar. Emil is the more elegant player, he makes elegant decisions and looks elegant when he's dribbling and making beautiful passes, whereas Oscar is more of a bulldog, a fighter, a winner, going into tackles, and showing courage. I think he has that because he was smaller than both of his brothers and everyone else he was playing against. He had to compensate, so he is fearless but also very good on the ball, and he has that type of mentality where he is a winning personality; you can see he wants to win in every single situation of the game."

While Rasmus is currently making headlines and attracting attention as one of Europe's most sought-after players, don't discount the possibility of his younger brothers following a similar path. Although Horsholm missed out on receiving any transfer fees for Rasmus, the local club where he developed, his rapid progression from FC Copenhagen to Sturm Graz to Atalanta and finally to Old Trafford has taken some by surprise.

"With the knowledge I have of him, it's not surprising to me because he is so hard-working and dedicated. I've always known something special was there with him, just in regards to his commitment to football, but that he has done it at this speed is spectacular."

Rasmus is now one of the hottest and most recognizable players in Europe, but it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine Oscar and Emil making a similar journey.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Group stage - matchday 3

Tuesday

19.45: (1.33) Inter (5.70) Salzburg (10.5)

19.45: (8.00) Galatasaray (4.80) Bayern (1.45)

22.00: (1.40) Man.Utd. (5.00) Copenhagen (9.00)

22.00: (4.00) Union Berlin (3.60) Napoli (2.00)

22.00: (4.70) Sevilla (3.70) Arsenal (1.85)

22.00: (2.20) Benfica (3.45) Sociedad (3.60)

22.00: (2.45) Lens (3.50) PSV (3.00)

22.00: (6.50) Braga (4.50) Real Madrid (1.53)

Wednesday

19.45: (1.90) Feyenoord (3.70) Lazio (4.40)

19.45: (1.18) Barcelona (8.50) Shakhtar (16.0)

22.00: (1.80) PSG (3.70) Milan (5.00)

22.00: (1.80) Newcastle (3.70) Dortmund (5.00)

22.00: (3.90) Celtic (3.60) Atl.Madrid (2.05)

22.00: (15.0) Young Boys (7.25) Man.City (1.22)

22.00: (1.28) RB Leipzig (6.75) Crvena Zvezda (10.5)

22.00: (3.80) Antwerp (3.50) Porto (2.10)

***odds are subject to change