Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has promoted youth team player Isak Hansen-Aaroen to the first team this week as the Red Devils prepare to take on Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in a double-header, where the starlet could get his chance to shine.
The Dutchman took a number of youngsters on United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia this summer, with the likes of Facundo Pellistri, Nathan Bishop, Matej Kovar, Will Fish, Alejandro Garnacho, Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal all included.
Here is all you need to know about the latest United youth product, Hansen-Aaroen, including who he is, where he's from and what's been said about him.
Who is Isak Hansen-Aaroen?
Isak Hansen-Aaroen, who can play in midfield or as a forward, has emerged as the latest young talent to be promoted to train with the United first team and has been in the youth setup since August 2020, when he signed for the Red Devils as a 15-year-old, before signing his first professional contract a year later.
The 17-year-old, born on August 22, 2004 in Tromso, Norway began his football career in his hometown club Tromso's youth system and made his senior debut in July 2020, in the second-tier of Norwegian football, in which he broke a record in becoming the youngest player in the club's history at the age of 15 years and 323 days.
On the international stage, Hansen-Aaroen is a Norwegian youth international and has represented the country at under-15, under-16, under-18 and under-19 levels, totalling five goals in 20 appearances across all age groups.
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Career so far
After joining Tromso's youth setup in his early years and graduating through to the first team to make his senior debut two years ago, the Norwegian youngster went on to record a total of seven appearances for his hometown side that season, grabbing an assist in his final game, before being snapped up by United.
In the 2020-21 season, Hansen-Aaroen recorded three goals and three assists in the U18 Premier League and made his debut for the U21s in the EFL Trophy as well as the Premier League 2. Last season yielded 27 appearances in all competitions, generating five assists, while he started the FA Youth Cup final at Old Trafford as the U18s won 3-1 in front of 67,492 spectators.
For Norway, he is a current U19 international after making his breakthrough in 2022 with three appearances, although he could not help them qualify for this summer's tournament in Slovakia. Back in February 2020, however, he scored a hat-trick for the U16s against Slovakia.
What's been said about him?
In 2019, Hansen-Aaroen won the under-15 Talent of the Year award in a contest organised by the Norwegian Football Federation, TV 2 and Equinor's Heroes of Tomorrow initiative, while Tromso later described him as "wonderful" in a farewell message on Instagram in 2020, saying: "A wonderful person. A unique football talent. Who just loves to play football now."
In more recent times, following the FA Youth Cup final victory in May, former Tromso teammate Yttergard Jenssen compared the youngster to Arsenal's Martin Odeagaard. He told Dagbladet: "I think he was very good and the fact that he has taken the next step so well is very cool.
"I realised that this was a talented boy already in the first training. He has some skills that are completely raw. He's so playful with the ball. And the way he moves on a football field… There's something artistic about it. He is a bit reminiscent of Martin Odegaard."
