4 hours ago
3
Manchester City's teenager midfielder Sverre Nypan has been compared to his fellow Norwegian Martin Odegaard.
Sverre Nypan has played down comparisons with countryman and Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard, insisting he can contribute more defensively in a midfield role.
The 18-year-old Norwegian joined Manchester City from Rosenborg for £12.5million in the summer and has since gone out on loan to Middlesbrough, where he has looked bright in two substitute appearances for the Championship pace-setters.
Nypan played 70 games for Rosenborg before his move to City, scoring 14 times. The teenage sensation had attracted interest from clubs across Europe, including Odegaard's Arsenal.
He continues the trend of exciting players emerging from Norway, with Oscar Bobb and Erling Haaland now teammates at the Etihad, but he was always compared to Odegaard.
While Nypan is flattered by those comparisons, he doesn't believe it stands up from a technical point of view when assessing their games.
“I haven't had no contact with him [Odegaard], but I remember when he came through, it was around 2015, and I was a young player," he told Teesside Live.
"He obviously became a role model for a lot of Norwegians at that time. And you can also see that he didn't go right up to Arsenal. He had some ups and downs. So you just see that a player of that quality, also has some ups and downs. You just have to learn from everyone and try to replicate what they have done.
“I won't sit there and say that it's not a nice comparison [Odegaard] because it's an honour to be compared to a great player like that. Maybe the best ever from Norway! So it's great to get the comparison, but we are we are not the same player.
"For me, we're quite opposite. We are maybe in a similar type of area in the midfield, but the playing style is different. I won't grow up to be a Martin Odegaard, that's for sure.”
Many judges believe Nypan will be at his best as a more attacking midfield, but he believes his game allows him to contribute defensively.
“I like to be in the middle of the field,” he says. “I like to be a lot on the ball and I like to create. Just give me the ball, that's what I want. I can not only be an attacker, but also help out in defence.
“All my life I played as a midfielder in Norway and you have to be in both boxes. So that's the type of player I am. I like to help in the defence and also help in the offence. I can play both [8 or 10]. I don't want to say which one. You just have to change a little bit of the mentality.
“You have to be a little bit more safe as the number 8 whereas the number 10 you can maybe try something more difficult. But I enjoy playing both. As long as I'm in the middle of the pitch, I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.”
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.
English (US) ·