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According to Sky Sports, Manchester United are looking to make a last-minute swoop for Martin Odegaard, the school-going wonder kid who became the youngest Norwegian international at 15 years and 253 days last Wednesday in a match against UAE.
The technically gifted midfielder currently plays for Stromsgodset, who will find it extremely difficult to hold on to his services with increasing attentions being bestowed on him by bigger clubs such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus and Ajax Amsterdam – even if Manchester fail to land him by this transfer deadline.
As is the scourge for every new talent coming up from youth academies these days, he has already been labelled ‘the next Messi’ in some circles, and it will have to be seen if the young man can tackle such high expectations and rise beyond the constraints that set in when one is compared to footballing greats so early on in one’s career.
Expectations sky high
Odegaard was the only home-based player selected in Norway’s squad for their last match, and Norway manager Per-Mathias Hogmo claims,”He has something really special.” The precocious kid carried himself admirably for the whole of the ninety minutes, and came very close to making the difference.
Such is the hype surrounding him that many people are looking at his young shoulders to carry hopes of an entire nation – hopes of returning to being considered as a top footballing nation. Norway reached up to second spot in the FIFA rankings in 1995, but have hit a new low this year by slumping to 60th place.
Odegaard, who prodigous skill has seen him become a Youtube sensation almost overnight, appears to be calm about all the hoopla surrounding him. He has so far even refused to take an agent saying,”it's because my only focus is to become a better footballer. Right now there is no agent that can make me a better footballer. I have people around me who are better at developing me than any agent." Acting his age unabashedly, he also confesses to have been a lifelong Liverpool fan.
Far more experienced team-mates look to Odegaard for inspiration and are quick to pass to him. He has quick feet and tricks but doesn’t showboat. There is no telling how good Odegaard may turn out to be, but one thing is for sure – all the big clubs will be watching closely.
This is a look at the performance of Odegaard in the match against UAE, surely the first of a long international career.
