Allegri compares Hojlund to Kane and highlights Gilmour as ‘important player’

Massimiliano Allegri has likened Rasmus Hojlund to Harry Kane and set out his ambition to deliver silverware in Napoli’s centenary season.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the coach covered a broad range of subjects in an interview with Sky Sport Italia, two months into a return to the club he served as a player three decades ago.

Asked which of the world’s elite forwards Hojlund most resembles, Allegri did not hesitate.

“Hojlund has significant margins for growth, that’s clear,” he said.

“In terms of characteristics I see him as very close to Harry Kane: they’re two powerful players who break away, who have physicality and know how to trade shoulder charges with defenders. I think Hojlund still has big room for improvement, and he has to want it above all in the finishing phase, which is what makes the difference.”

NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 24: Rasmus Hojlund of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring his side first goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 24, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Kevin De Bruyne, who settled a contentious opening-weekend win at Genoa, drew a more affectionate assessment. “Technically I’m certainly not the one who discovers him,” Allegri said. “When he plays it’s a pleasure to watch, he does things very few know how to do. Character-wise he’s an introverted lad, he’s not the type who talks a lot, but every now and then I manage to make him smile. The important thing is that on the pitch he’s De Bruyne, and when he’s well he is.”

Billy Gilmour has also caught the eye. “Gilmour is an important player who reads the game well,” the coach said. “He’s coming back from an injury and he’s growing game by game, you can see he’s gaining more and more confidence. We’re well covered in that role, and that gives me peace of mind.”

NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 11: Billy Gilmour of Napoli during the Serie A match between Napoli and Genoa at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 11, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Allegri summed up his first two months in a word, “good”, before expanding. “They’ve been months of real work, of graft, and they were useful for building the right foundations,” he said. “But now what counts is the league. Everything we’ve done until now has to have served to arrive in the best condition for the first games of the season.”

He identified the squad’s collective character as its principal asset. “The strength of this team is the group,” he said. “It’s a group of excellent players who put themselves at each other’s disposal, and that has to be the strength for the whole year, not just in the easy matches. I’ve found an environment where everyone works for the Napoli cause, from morning to night, and that isn’t a given at all.”

NAPLES, ITALY – JULY 14: Massimiliano Allegri new SSC Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri is presented as the new SSC Napoli head coach at Teatro di San Carlo on July 14, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

The coach was also struck by how the city has changed since his playing days. “Naples is totally different to thirty years ago as a city,” he said. “It was wonderful then, and now it’s become even more so. With a passionate public and fans, with a club that in fifteen years has navigated steadily between Europa League and Champions League, also winning two Scudetti. It’s a place that has grown enormously, and you feel it.”

Napoli mark their centenary this season, and Allegri was clear about what would constitute success by May. “I’d be happy if we’d won something,” he said. “But above all to have had an important season and to have left something concrete. To do that you have to be very serious, very professional and above all very responsible for all ten months of the season.”