The young player represented Manchester United at various youth levels but failed to reach the first-team level.
When it comes to Manchester United’s most famous Norwegian export, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is arguably in a class of his own having played for and managed the Red Devils.
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But not so long ago, the Red Devils had another highly-rated jewel from the Scandinavian country in their squad – even if things didn’t quite go as planned.
In 2020, United fended off interest from a number of clubs to secure the services of Isak Hansen-Aarøen, who had recently made his first-team debut for Tromsø – and became the club’s youngest player ever, at 15 years and 323 days old.
The midfielder had previously had trials with both Liverpool and Everton, but signed for United, where he had participated in the “Soccer Schools World Skills Final” when he was just 10 years old.
He fit into the youth system at United and signed his first professional contract in 2021.
But despite being a regular in the U21 team and helping the U18 team win the FA Youth Cup, Hansen-Aarøen failed to reach the level of United’s first team – he didn’t get a single competitive game and was only used in pre-season.
What happened to United’s highly rated talent?
Compared to compatriot Martin Ødegaard and Luka Modrić, Hansen-Aarøen had many admirers among United’s supporters, and he was reportedly offered a new four-and-a-half-year contract that included loans.
However, the young player was unhappy with his lack of opportunities and turned down the proposal – United felt his demands were a bit unrealistic.
As a result, Hansen-Aarøen signed for Werder Bremen on the last day of the 2024 winter transfer window, stating that the transfer was the “right step” and that he was “happy to have the opportunity to play in the Bundesliga”.
But when you look forward to today, things have not quite developed in Hansen-Aarøen’s new surroundings.
He played three times in the second half of the 2023/24 season, but a lack of playing time led to him signing on loan at the start of last season for Aalborg BK in Denmark, and again only got three games.
The trend has continued this season, with the 21-year-old playing just once in Bremen’s 15 Bundesliga games – with 25 minutes of playing time.
The Norwegian U21 player has played in the regional league for the reserves, but according to a report from BILD, via Sport Witness, the move to Bremen was and remains “too big” for Hansen-Aarøen, and he is a “hot” candidate to leave in January.
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His contract is believed to last until 2028, but his future at the Weser stadium looks bleak.
