Magnus Wolff Eikrem

Age & date of birth: 23 - 08/08/90

Place of birth: Molde, Norway

Club: Heerenveen

Position: Midfielder

A-Club Games: 11

Norwegian Youth International Games: 17

Norwegian International A-team Games: 13

Why he's special: Made his A-team debut for Manchester United in 2007 at the age of 17, back-to-back Norwegian league champion with Molde in 2011, 2012, and bronze medalist in the under-21 European Championship in 2013. 

Strengths: Magnus was signed by Manchester United at the age of 16 where he played for five years until he opted to go the same route as Mats did, going back to his hometown to play for Molde under the guidance of Solskjaer, which Magnus stated was the major reason for his choice to move alongside the opportunity to play regular first-team football. Magnus has since his initial Man Utd days been known for his creative & passing abilities which he often combines with reading defenses, opening them up and setting up his team-mates for goal opportunities. His endurance is also often mentioned when coaches talk about Magnus, as well as his winning mentality and a deadly free-kick. 

Weaknesses: Junior & reserve coaches for Manchester United often said the same thing when they were asked how far Magnus was from taking the next step up to the A-team - The only thing Magnus lack in order to play on one of the best teams of the world, is his physicality and in particular, his strength. Magnus has struggled with diabetes since the age of 16, the same year he signed up for Manchester United. He was quoted on saying that he was ready to give up football, but instead he got a visit from Sir Alex Ferguson in the hospital who encouraged him to continue to play and convinced Magnus that it was possible to be a professional football player despite having the disease - it was all up to himself. This inspired Magnus to continue to play. However, with the disease hanging over him he has struggled with gaining weight & strength which have continued to be his achilles' heel. 

Where can he end up?: Magnus made the step-up from the Norwegian League this year, moving to the Dutch Eredivisie club Heerenveen where he has continued to impress legendary coach in charge, Marco van Basten. While being more & more a regular on the Norwegian international A-team as well, I feel it is only a matter of time before we will see Magnus back in England again, where his talent is already well known among club scouts & coaches. 



Quote about next talent post: "He is clearly one of the best, if not the best, central defender in the Norwegian league at the moment."

Mats Møller Dæhli

Age & date of birth: 18 - 02/03/95

Place of birth: Oslo, Norway

Club: Molde

Position: Offensive midfield/Winger

A-Club Games: 12

Norwegian Youth International Games: 20

Norwegian International A-team Games: 2

Why he's special: At his first & only full season with Manchester United, he won the "Young Player of the Year award".

Strengths: Manchester United discovered Mats at the age of 12, and despite having to wait to sign him until he reached the age of 17 due to regulations, they wasted no time, signing him on the day of his 17th birthday. He only spent one full season with ManUtd, claiming the best player award - and was then moved up to the reserve team for the following season. However, he then made a decision which I believe reveals his biggest strength: he decided to move away from Man Utd and go to the evidently much smaller club, Molde in Norway, in order for him to play first-team regular football & also be guided under the legendary Molde coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who played for Manchester United for over a decade. This shows his level of maturity by prioritizing being able to develop his skills by playing on a first-team, rather than perhaps be blinded by playing under the massive brand name that Man Utd surely is, just for that reason. What the coaches & scouts are highlighting in terms of his abilities on the pitch is his high level of technique, his ability to read the game on the offensive end and distribute the ball accordingly, as well as his extraordinary determination to win any game he plays.

Weaknesses: Finding weaknesses for such a unique talent is quite hard, but once again it is physicality that comes to mind. Mats can develop his speed, in particular his sprint speed. He is currently 177cm & around 72kg, which shows that he is spending time in the weight room as he was listed as 69kg in the previous season, but still it is clear by watching his games that he could built up a bit of strength in order to make him more prepared to compete in a higher, more physical league such as the English Premier League.

Where can he end up?: As part of the transfer deal that was made between Manchester United & Molde, Manchester United reserved the right to be the club that had the last say when Mats decides to move to another club, giving them the opportunity to sign him again ahead of any other club if they wish to do so. This shows how one of the biggest clubs in the world still rate him, which proves that Mats  have a realistic opportunity to play in one of the top leagues and on one of the best teams in the world is he continues to develop his skills & the unique talent that he has.




Quote about next talent post: "We tracked ... for a long time and there was also serious interest from Germany. Therefore we are very proud he has chosen us."

Zymer Bytyqi

Age & date of birth: 17 - 14/09/96

Place of birth: Sint-Truiden, Belgium (moved to Sandnes, Norway at the age of 2)

Position: Forward/Offensive midfield

Club: Sandnes Ulf (currently on loan from Red Bull Salzburg)

A-Club Games: 20

Norwegian Youth International Games: 7

Why he's special: The youngest player to ever play in the Norwegian top league at the age of 15.

Strengths: This guy is special. Coming from Sandnes myself, I've seen this boy in action and he is the real deal. What struck me about him is his quickness, his technique and the ability to read his opponents both on the offensive as well as the defensive end, especially for his young age.

Weaknesses: At present time, his weaknesses is clearly his physical abilities, at 176cm & 70kg. That said, these weaknesses might not be such of a big deal when he moves to another league, as the Norwegian top league are well known to be a very physical tough league. Given his young age on top of that, his physique is certain to improve as he develops over time.

Where can he end up?: Zymer is destined to end up in one of the top European leagues within a 2-4 year time span (Germany, England, Spain, Italy or France). He was sold to Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian top league at the age of 15 in 2012 which is a step-up from the Norwegian league. However, his number one priority has to be to get playing time in order to further develop his skills, so going on loan to his former club Sandnes which he opted to do for this season is a smart choice as long as it means he gets to contribute on the field.





Quote about next talent post: "... is said to be the most promising youth player in Norway and has been a key player for every Norwegian youth team up to under-19 level"

First post! An introduction

Hi there!
I’m Anders, born and raised on the west coast of Norway, currently a student doing his masters in San Francisco CA.

I am writing this blog out of an deep interest & passion for the game of football as well as excitement for upcoming talents who will influence the game in the coming years. Since there are several online sites where you can find information on the hottest “global” talents, I thought why do the same? I will use a national bias to focus solely on Norwegian talents!

I will regularly create a new update on a individual talent. These posts will include pictures, general information, video(s) as well as my own opinion on how far I believe these individuals can go and what they can achieve in the future.

I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Anders