Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund was Denmark's UEFA Nations League play-off hero against Portugal with a late goal, and even mimicked Cristiano Ronaldo's trademark celebration as the legend watched on. It is no secret the 22-year-old has increasingly struggled as his Man United career has continued. Under the weight of his £72m transfer fee when bought from Atalanta in 2023, also adjusting to a new manager's expectations midway through this term, Hojlund 's strike last weekend against Leicester City was his first since mid-December. That equated to a 21-game drought, and although it came to a relieving end unfortunately for his club any progress would have to be put on hold until after the current International break. All that could really be asked for is that he took newfound confidence away with him to join his national side for a two-legged Nations League play-off, the first battle of which took place in Copenhagen on Thursday night. While former Man United hero Ronaldo led the line for the Portuguese, Bruno Fernandes sat in behind and Diogo Dalot started as right back, Hojlund was forced to wait for his opportunity as he was named among the Danish substitutes. The Portuguese cohort had even joked that their club teammate-turned-international opponent take a break in front of goal , though he would end up doing no such thing. After arriving from the bench in the 69th minute, nine minutes later he finished off a sweeping team move into the bottom corner as goalkeeper Diogo Costa dived the wrong way. Ronaldo, hands on hips in disbelief, watched on as current Man United attacker jested by copying his trademark 'siu' celebration in front of 38,000 spectators. That now makes it Hojlund's eighth strike in 23 international appearances. Denmark must make sure they don't let their aggregate one-goal advantage slip when they travel to Portugal next week if they are to have a place in the Nations League finals this summer. Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .