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."