• Name: Christopher Geertsen
  • Age: 21 (24-01-2014)
  • Position: Central Midfield
  • Club: FC Fredericia 
  • International caps:
    • Denmark U19
      • 3 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U18
      • 6 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U17
      • 11 matches / 3 goals
    • Denmark U16
      • 2 matches / 0 goals
  • Value: £100.000 (Transfermarkt)

He might have taken a step down from the best Danish league, but for this week's talent it is only a matter of time before he is back in the Superliga, and till then he is just doing his best to develop as a footballer. This week we keep an eye on Christopher Geertsen of FC Fredericia.

He was only ten when he was brought in from Helsted Fremad, one of Randers FC's satellite clubs to help Randers FC in their youth Danish Championship tournament. The team won the tournament, and Geertsen had left such a great impression on the coach that he stayed in Randers throughout his youth years. In fact, he became a profile on the teams he played for, and was a part of the Danish national youth teams, as well. 

All young Danish footballers dream of becoming professional, and that dream reached Geertsen when he was only thirteen; Feyenoord wanted him to join the club:

We attended a youth tournament in Den Haag and I became the best player, and a week after Feyenoord called Randers’ head of talents and asked if I could come on a week’s trial. I came for a couple of days to see how the environment was, and then they came to Denmark to watch me play, and then I was down there for two weeks," the talent tells.

"I thought it was great to come to such a big club and train with such good players; I played against Jack Wilshere and Arsenal in a friendly, and that is when you start dreaming of making it in football. They wanted me to join them, but neither the club [Randers] and I were interested at the time.”

Instead, Geertsen stayed in Randers throughout his Junior years, and was promoted to the senior squad when the club was still playing in the Danish 1. Division. By the age of 17, he was given his debut in the light blue shirt, and only a year after he signed his first senior contract leading to seven matches in the second best division, in Denmark. However, the adventure in Randers stalled when Michael Hemmingsen, the manager that had believed in Geertsen was sacked just as the club returned to the Danish Superliga. 

Instead, the former Sunderland and Derby Country defender Colin Todd took over.

"Colin [Todd] came to the club, and at the time it didn’t seem as there was any space for me, but there are no hard feelings towards Randers," Geertsen says about the change of manager.

Geertsen decided to look for a new club, and was handed a two-year contract after a trial with FC Fredericia from the Danish 1. Divison. While some might see his change as a step down, the talent believes it is a step up considering the lack of match time he got in Randers. 

“As a young player you need a lot of match time, and if you can’t get that in the best league then you take a step down. I feel that Fredericia is a good club that wants to achieve something, and I feel that the 1. Division is a good division to play in,” Geertsen says,
“Because I am playing more here, I feel that I have developed more in Fredericia than during my senior year at Randers, so for me it is not a step down.”

In his eight months, in Fredericia, Geertsen has played 19 matches and is becoming a regular name on the match sheet, and the talent is not in a hurry to leave his new club, although he is looking to return to the Danish Superliga within a couple of years.

“Fredericia wants to develop me and get the best out of me, and I hope that it can bring me back to the best league in Denmark," he says and finishes off the interview with a talk about going abroad. 
“Without a doubt [would I like to play abroad], but you need to crawl before you can walk, so I am taking it step by step, and I would rather return to the Superliga before an adventure abroad and I just only turned 21.”

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  • Name: Svenn Crone 
  • Age: 18 (20-05-1995)
  • Position: Right Back
  • Club: Brøndby IF
  • International caps:
    • Denmark U19
      • 4 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U18
      • 5 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U17
      • 14 matches / 1 goal
    • Denmark U16
      • 7 matches / 0 goals
  • Value: Not available 
He is already a big name on the world wide web, the 18-year-old Danish Right Back from Brøndby If, who is yet to have his official debut for the Superliga side. This week we keep an eye on Svenn Crone.

Crone tied his football boots for the first time in the small club Rødovre BK, just an hour away from Brøndby Stadion where he, hopefully, will have his debut in the near future. That is what the talent is hoping for after he finish college next summer: 
"I aim to get closer to playing for the Superliga squad, and after the summer to fight for a place among the starting eleven. Until then there is nothing else to do than to do my best at every training both with the U19 as well as the Superliga squad  - and play well in our matches during spring," the talent says.
Crone has gone through a massive development since joining Brøndby in an early age. Coming from Rødovre where friendship was preferred rather than development for the talent, and where he played as a striker, to Brøndby and their professional environment was quite a step upwards. Not only was the training on a higher level, he also had to fight for his place on the match sheet:
"When you come to a club as Brøndby IF, you play with the best youth players in Denmark, which means there is competition on all positions of the team. You have to perform your best at training to get on the match sheet for every match."
It is worth noticing that when Crone came to Brøndby, he was placed on the 2. team where he spent six months. However, after a great performance he was spotted by one of the 1. team coaches who brought him into the 1. team for a week. Crone only needed that week to convince everyone that he was there to stay. The talent points out the U17 coach in Brøndby, John Ranum, as one of the reasons why he has come so far and developed to become that talent he is. Furthermore, Crone is not only playing every week for the Brøndby U19, but he is also the Captain and is hoping to take that role at a senior level one day.

However, Crone might not even get to play for Brøndby as the talent has not gone unnoticed in the world of football. Several blogs and websites describe Crone as one of the talents to keep an eye on for the future, as well as Inter Milano was reported to be interested in the defender back in 2012. The talent appreciate the credit, but keeps both feet planted on the ground:
"It's great that they keep an eye on me, no doubt about it, but it is not something I think about, the talent says."
Beside playing for Brøndby U19 Crone have achieved 30 youth national matches for Denmark, and is proud to be a part of the national youth system. The talent believes that the youth matches for Denmark can help him develop and help him earn a place in the Brøndby starting formation from summer. With two years left of his contract, Crone is fully committed to his club:
"Since I was a child, I've been dreaming of becoming a professional football player. The first step comes this summer where I will be playing for Brøndby, one of the greatest clubs in Denmark. From there, the next step will be to have a break through and then move to one of the biggest leagues in the world."
"If I could chose myself, I would play for a top club in the Premier League, the Bundesliga or the Premiere Division in Spain", the talent ends the interview.



















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  • Name: Kasper Kusk
  • Age: 22 (10-11-1991)
  • Position: Wing
  • Club: Aalborg BK
  • International Caps:
    • Denmark A
      • 4 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U21
      • 6 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U20
      • 3 matches / 0 goals
    • Danish National League team
      • 2 matches / 0 goals
  • Value: £875.000
His father, Søren Kusk, was not only a player but also manager for Aalborg BK; Now the next generation of the Kusk family is one of the most prominent names in the current squad. This week we keep an eye on AaB's Kasper Kusk.

While many players have been marked as talents from the day the tied their boots for the first time, the story is different for Kusk. Since joining Aalborg as 14-year-old, he had to fight to be a part of the youth teams. As the Chief of Talent development in Aalborg, Poul Erik Andreasen, said to Tipsbladet.dk earlier this year:

"He has been fighting for five-six-seven years, where he often was a reserve. It is a long time to be less physical, slower than the others and a head lower. It is well done, and a great part of the reason why we are so happy to see him make a breakthrough."

Kasper Kusk sees his way to the status as Superliga player and profile in Aalborg as a long process:

“During my youth time wasn’t between the ten of eleven best players in the club, so I was forced to train extra and train by myself to develop some of the skills I was missing. It meant that I had to spend some extra time on the training ground, and it wasn’t the best time of my life, but I believe it has strengthened me and helped me work harder."

But, Kusk managed to breakthrough in Aalborg and found his place as a winger, a position he has been able to keep. The young talent took both the fans and the media with storm scoring eight goals last autumn, but after last season's Christmas break Kusk had problems finding the net. Suddenly he was doubted on against, and especially the media were hard to the starlet. However, Kusk takes the dry scoring period with calmness:

"You learn when sometimes things doesn’t go your way, and there is no doubt I would have loved to score goals last spring, but it wasn’t to be. I think most footballers experience an up and down period, and I have learned from it.”

This season Kusk has, unlike the strikers in Aalborg, managed to find the back of the net scoring seven goals so far. Three of them against Randers two weeks ago adding to his 20 goals in 67 matches for Aalborg. However, the stress that the fans shouldn't expect him to score every time and that it is up to the strikers in the club. That said, he admits that his self-confidence raises every time he sees the ball cross the line.

The current form from Kusk and his teammates has brought them to the top of the Danish Superliga second to FC Midtjylland on the first. While some might consider Aalborg as a contestant for the trophy this season, Kusk is more humble:

“We play well and we have some young players performing on a high level, but there is no doubt there will come some qualified teams from behind who wants to be a part of the top, so we are not the favorites.
“We will do what we can, but there will be hard matches and we will have our problems," Kusk says.

The talent had his debut for the Danish national team against Georgia at Aalborg Stadium, but it is not until this season he has been called up regularly by Morten Olsen. So far he can add four caps to his CV, but if the winger keeps playing his best in Aalborg, he will be a part of the future of the Danish national team.

“The most important is to play well for your club, and then grab the chance when you get it for the national team," Kusk says.

The good play for Aalborg have also opened the eyes for the winger around Europe. During the summer, Kusk was linked with moves to clubs as Anderlecht, Crystal Palace and Lille. Earlier this week, Allan Gaarde, Sport Director in Aalborg admitted that the golden boy might leave in the winter transfer window, but not for any price. Kusk himself is not so sure about leaving Aalborg in January:

“I feel good in Aalborg, and have been in Aalborg my entire life so I could see myself staying here for longer. That said, if the right offer come from an interesting club, then I will consider it.
"But I feel good in Aalborg and it will be interesting to see how far this team can go,” the starlet ends the interview.












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  • Name: Jakob Blåbjerg
  • Age: 18 (11.01.95)
  • Position: Centre Back
  • Club: AaB Aalborg BK
  • International caps:
    • Denmark U20
      • 2 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U19
      • 4 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U18
      • 2 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U17
      • 12 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U16
      • 7 matches / 1 goal
  • Value: £125.000
He has been called one of the greatest talents of the club by former Aalborg Sports Director, Lynge Jakobsen. So far, he has only made one official appearance in the club dress, but there is firm believes in the defender. This week we keep an eye on Jakob Blåbjerg.

Jakob Blåbjerg is a bit uncertain about when exactly joined Aalborg from the local club Vejgaard Boldklub. When he thinks back, he must have been about 12 or 13-years-old. However, since he joined the club, he has developed into a promising player for the North Jutland flagship. Despite training with the senior squad, Blåbjerg is still a part of the talented U19 squad in Aalborg, but one of the prospects to become a full member of the Superliga team.

“We have always had a tremendous unity on the teams I have played for, and by looking at the senior squad, you can see that they are willing to use many of the young players, which is nice," says Blåbjerg about his youth time in Aalborg.

When Blåbjerg signed his first full time contract with the club in 2012, the current Sports Director Lynge Jakobsen called the defender one of the greatest talents in the AaB. A predicate the talent have learned to live with, but does think about in his everyday  life. Manager in Aalborg, Kent Nielsen says about the player and his talent predicate that:

“Jakob have trough his presentations here in U17 and U19 teams, and through his many youth national matches shown that he is a talented player, but the hardest step is to go from youth to senior football.”

The defensive player took one step towards playing senior football when he was invited on the club's training camp in Portugal last February. Blåbjerg had played a few training matches, but did not expect to be invited to Portugal so when Director of Talent Development Poul Erik Andreasen called it was a great surprise for the defender. According to Blåbjerg, the call made him realise that he could do something with his football career.

As the start of the spring-season approached Aalborg's central defends were hard struck by injuries and bans; Kenneth Emil Petersen was out with a ban while Rasmus Thelander suffered from an injury, and on the day of the first match against Silkeborg the last defender Lasse Nielsen was injured just before kick off. Suddenly, Blåbjerg was facing his debut.

“I did know until 30 minutes before the match started. Mentally I hard warmed up as a substitute, and did expect to play as it is rare you make changes in the back four doing a match.
During the warm up I am playing some small games with the rest of the reserves when I am  that he [Lasse Nielsen] is injured. We are three players beginning to warm up when Kent [Nielsen] approaches me and asks if I am nervous about playing, and I told him that I felt ready. Then you start he said."

Jakob Blåbjerg was not the only debutant that day. His partner in the central defends was the 20-year old Kasper Pedersen, and together with the rest of the team they were a part of the youngest starting lineup in the Danish Superliga ever. Despite ending 2-2, the player sees the match as his greatest experience in his career so far.

The defender has a couple of experiences to chose between with his, so far, 27 international caps divided on five different Danish youth national teams. Most of the matches, Blåbjerg have been in the starting XI and have been a regular for years both for Denmark and his youth teams in Aalborg.

“The primary development happens in your club, so it is something extra to be part of a national team and represent your country. Especially when we play qualification matches and matches where there are points at risk. Furthermore, it gives you some international routine even though it is only on a youth level," he says.

His international experience can turn out to be important for the talent to reach his next goal: to become a part of the AaB's Superliga starting line up. One thing is for sure; the managers and coaches in Aalborg has the belief in him, and so do Blåbjerg. The upcoming star in Denmark.









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Efb.dk

  • Name: Casper Nielsen
  • Age: 19 (29-04-1994)
  • Position: Central Midfield
  • Club: Esbjerg fB
  • International caps:
    • Denmark U20
      • 3 matches/ 0 goals
    • Denmark U17
      • 3 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U16
      • 5 matches / 1 goal
  • Value: £100.000

He his family's second generation to play on the best team in Esbjerg, and is sure he will get his breakthrough this season. This week we keep an eye on Casper Nielsen.

As the son of Henrik "Ismand" [Iceman - Henrik Nielsen was a part time player, and sold ice cream as his other job] Nielsen, Casper Nielsen was almost meant to play in Esbjerg. Since his start in Esbjerg as a young boy, Nielsen has played his way up through the youth system to become a part of the Superliga squad.

However, the midfielder who describes himself as a technical strong, pacey and smart player, have tried himself in another club. After being scouted at a gathering with the Danish youth national team, the talent was invited to Manchester City for a week's trial in 2009.

“It was a nice experience and very different from what I have tried at home [In Esbjerg]. It was a whole different training culture, but I took it as an experience and it gave me an insight in English football contra Danish," Nielsen says.

After the week's trial, Nielsen returned to Esbjerg and continued to develop in the youth department. After attending a few training sessions with Esbjerg's Superliga squad, Nielsen was given his debut in a Danish Cup match against Lyngby in 2012. From this summer,  he was promoted to become a full member of the squad and became a full-time professional. During his time in Esbjerg, the club has developed a 1. Division team to one of the top teams in the Superliga.

“It has gone really fast, from being in the Danish 1. Division to become a top team in the Superliga, and play in Europe. There is beginning to a more competitive environment on the team as the club can now afford to go out and buy players, which they could not before," Nielsen says.

Casper Nielsen has also experienced personal success as he has won a total of 11 international caps for three different Danish youth national teams. However, his main focus is on Esbjerg where he is determined to have a breakthrough this season. Asked how his chances for making it was the midfielder answered:

“My chances are good; I started when we played in Parken [Against FC Copenhagen] and got 90 minutes, and I did well. Our first priority was to close down their right side with Christian Bolaños and Lars Jacobsen. Bolaños was substituted, and Lars Jacobsen only had one cross in the match, so it was a success.”

At the moment, the talented midfielder is waiting for his next chance to shine, and he is sure it is only a matter of time before you can see him as a regular starter for Esbjerg.



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OB.dk
  • Name: Kasper Larsen
  • Age: 20 (25-01-1993)
  • Position: Centre Back
  • Club: Odense BK (OB)
  • International Caps:
    • Denmark U21
      • 5 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U20
      • 3 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U19
      • 13 matches / 1 goal
    • Denmark U18
      • 7 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U17
      • 13 matches / 1 goal
    • Denmark U16
      • 6 matches / 1 goal
  • Value: £300.000
Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Falk and Daniel Høegh are all players from Odense's youth department who have managed to break through in the best Danish league and for Christian Eriksen in Europe. Now, the youth department have fostered another talent with a high potential; Kasper Larsen.

Like many other boys in Denmark, Larsen started playing football in a very young age as he started in the local club Sanderum Boldklub at the age of 5. After almost 7 years in Sanderum, the talent decided to try himself out in Odense and joined the U15 squad even though he was only 13-years-old, and it was not an easy start for Larsen:

“I played for the U15-team, along with Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Falk, and had some problems at the start. However, as time went by I developed and became a regular part of the youth team."

Not only did Larsen become a regular part of the U15-team, he managed to become a regular starter for all of the youth teams he played for in Odense, despite being repositioned from the attaching midfield to the centre-back. A position where he achieved his first Danish International youth matches, as well. Since he was 15-years old, the defender have won 47 caps for Denmark's youth teams and is one of the leading players on the current U20 national team. The defender is more than happy with his career for Denmark:

"I have had some great experiences with the youth national teams, and have been a significant part of every one of them, so it is something I appreciate."

After breaking through as a defender, Larsen started training with the Superliga squad in OB from the summer 2011 and was given his debut in March 2012 against Fc Nordsjælland. However, it was only 6 months ago he started training regularly with the team, and only as much as his high school would allow him. Luckily for Larsen, he was a part of Sports Class in high school, which allowed absence when he was away with the team or Denmark. 

For Troels Bech, Manager of Odense Boldklub, there were no doubts when he promoted Larsen to the Superliga squad:

"We have a very hungry player, who is capable of playing on a high level and not just here to learn. He wants to achieve something for himself and his team."

When Kasper Larsen was brought into the squad, the competition for the position as centre-back was hard, why the talent was used both as a left back and left wing as well as the central midfield. The talent believes that the many different positions on the pitch has been good for his development, which is supported by his manager:

"It is fantastic for his development that he in a young age already have won over 30 caps in the Danish Superliga. Some of them might have been on different positions, but it has given him some routine and I think it is important to remember that some of the best stoppers in the world started in other positions. Puyol started as a winger, and learned the offensive play that way," Bech says.

In 2009, the newspaper SportFyn reported that a number of unnamed Spanish clubs were following the talent. Larsen never thought of leaving OB back then, and he ensure his manager and the clubs fans that he will stay in Odense and fight to keep his position as centre-back. Meanwhile, Troels Beck believes that his young talent has his time in front of him:

"He doesn’t have to worry about playing abroad, if his development continues like this, it will come all by itself."


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Photo: AGF.DK
  • Name: Victor Nielsen
  • Age: 18 (08.03.1995)
  • Position: Right Back
  • Club: AGF U19
  • International Caps: 
    • Denmark U19
      • 2 matches
      • 0 goals
    • Denmark U18
      • 2 matches
      • 0 goals
  • Value: Unknown


He is 18-years old, and one of the prospects for the future in Aarhus GF. Furthermore, he has already made a move between two rivalling clubs! This week, we take a look at Victor Nielsen, an upcoming defender in the Danish Superliga.

It all started in Hasle Boldklub, the club of a small suburban town just outside the Danish metropolis Aarhus. Here, Victor Nielsen played football after school along with his mates. Later, Nielsen and two of his best friends took the next step and joined Skovbakken in Aarhus. After a couple of years in Skovbakken, the talent felt that he had achieved what he could with the small club:

“I had ambitions of more, and Skovbakken had been in a conflict with AGF because they didn’t want to be a farmer club. I knew that If I should take the next step it would be with Randers or AGF, and then I choose AGF,” Victor Nielsen says.


Three
clubs are battling to be the best in Aarhus; AGF, Aarhus Fremad and Skovbakken. For many years, AGF has been the best club in the city , and they are currently playing in the Danish Superliga and is in many ways theelder brother” among the clubs. Meanwhile, the clubs have always been rivals, so it wasn’t the most popular move Nielsen made when he decided to skip Skovbakken and move to AGF:

“There is always some... when we met Skovbakken for the first time, I could still shake their hands after the match, but there is always some who will be less fond of me after the change of clubs", Nielsen says.


In AGF,
the talent was one of 11 new players - or as Nielsen puts it – 11 diva’s all wanting to play every match. Right from the start he felt the more competitive environment, but quickly managed to adapt to it. When he joined the club, he was a talented Wing, but after just six months he was repositioned as a back. His current coach in the AGF U19 squad, Claus Therkildsen says about Victor Nielsen:

“He has his speed and his eager to come forward on the pitch and help in the attacking play. That is definitely some of the things he has brought with him from his time as a winger. Furthermore, he strikes some excellent crossings, which is very significant.”


The talents abilities have also been noticed higher in the club, and Nielsen has so far played a couple of matches for the reserves. However, if you ask Therkildsen the only reason why Nielsen is not a part of the senior squad is that there currently are two players on his position. One of them is Alexander Juel - who Great Dane Football Blog earlier have written about – who was brought in this summer, and Victor Nielsen acknowledges that there still is some way to the top. However, Nielsen knows what it takes to become a professional footballer:

“I need to develop my attacking play much more because that is what makes me different from the others. I also need to use my speed – is a gift I have been given – and get even better in my defensive abilities.”


The coach is sure that his talent will make it if he can just add those extra 10% needed in his development and as you can see Nielsen is determined to reach his goal. When the author of this article finished off his interview with the player, he wished him luck and hoped to see him in the Danish Superliga in the future. “You will” was the answer.
 
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With courtesy of Jammerbugt FC

  • Name: Daniel Moth
  • Age: 21 (15-05-1992)
  • Position: Central Midfield
  • Club: Jammerbugt FC
  • International caps: None
  • Value: Unknown

Rather than playing for the reserves in Aalborg, this young player tries to reinvent his career in the Danish 2. Division. This week, we keep an eye on Jammerbugt FC's Daniel Moth.

"I had been training with players who had jobs beside the football, and had settled with not becoming a professional. Sometimes, only 5 or 6 turned up for training, so I thought I might as well try myself of on a higher level," Daniel Moth says about his last year in Aalborg. The midfielder was never in doubt when he got the offer from Blokhus FC [Now known as Jammerbugt FC]. However, his career started somewhere else.

From a very young age, Moth joined the local club Gug Boldklub in Aalborg and teamed up with his mates. However, as time got by the talent wanted to try himself of on a higher level, and as many other Aalborg-boys he decided to join Aalborg BK. Moth turned up at the club for a couple of trainings, but didn't feel ready to take the next step why he returned to Gug only to come back to Aalborg a year after - this time for good:
“The ambitions and dreams of playing football on a higher level than just with the mates, made me join Aalborg," Moth says.
As many may know, the chances of becoming a professional football player are not high, and Moth chances didn't get much better as he was pushed around on different positions on the pitch, during his youth years. While other players could train and specialize on one position, Moth had to change his play for every match, and the talent is sure that it might have affected his chances of playing professional football in Aalborg BK.

Meanwhile, Moth was struggling in Aalborg and played with the reserves Bo Zink, Manager of Jammerbugt, had kept a close eye one the talent:
“We always keep an eye on what is happening in Aalborg BK, and had seen Daniel a couple of times and found he was a good player. What we noticed was that he is calm with the ball and have a view for finding his teammates and willing to make the runs needed. That he is not afraid of keeping the ball and his running abilities is some of his best features," Bo Zink says.
The manager decided to offer Daniel Moth a contract and a chance of playing on a higher level than the with the reserves in Aalborg. In Moth, Bo Zink found the kind of midfielder he needed for his team, and is more than happy to see the talent develop with the club:
"First of all; a player like Daniel intensives our training level, and secondly we want to keep the ball and Daniel is an important player for our playing style. He is a motor on the central midfield and a good player, which you don’t find every day."
After just over a year in Jammerbugt FC, Moth has become a regular starter for the club and even made it to the scoreboard a couple of times. The talent is thrilled of his first year and is glad to stay, but at the same time he will consider an offer from a club on a higher level. His manager is sure that his young talent can take the step, but would like to keep him at least for a couple of years:
"Moth works hard and is a humble player. He understands if he is between the subs instead of playing, and he is willing to work harder to get back on the team. He is a good guy, but misses some temper at times, but as he is only 21-years-old he has the future in front of him," Zink says.
However, at the moment Daniel Moth is taking things as they come and is happy to have his career back on track. Perhaps one day, he will be found in the Danish Superliga or perhaps abroad.





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The day after it was announced that Aston Villa had made a bid for Danish striker Nicklas Helenius, another Dane is reported ready for the club.

According to the reliable source, Danish newspaper Politiken, the Lions has already agreed the fee for Danish national talent Jores Okore, who is travelling to Birmingham to go through the medical check this week.

The Danish defender was close to signing with Chelsea from FC Nordsjælland, in the winter transfer window, but has now chosen Villa as his next destination. Last year, the FCN defender, won the Danish championship as well as the Danish FA Talent of the Year award.
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  • Name: Anders Thomsen
  • Age: 17 (29-07-1995)
  • Position: Attacking midfielder / Winger
  • Club: Odense BK
  • National caps: 
    • Denmark U18
      • Matches: 2
      • Goals: 0
    • Denmark U17
      • Matches: 9
      • Goals: 3
    • Denmark U16
      • Matches: 5
      • Goals: 1
  • Value: £50.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk)
There has never been any doubt about his talent, and this young player knows what he is capable of and what he wants with his career. This week we keep an eye on Odense BK's Anders Thomsen.

He is only 17-years-old, but he has already played in the Danish 2. Division and been tried out in Blackburn Rovers and Norwich. In fact, the young talent was looking to start in Odense when he was 14, but the club's politic was not to sign with players younger than 15 year-old. Instead, Thomsen signed with FC Fyn in the Danish 2. Division.

"It was a great experience to play on a senior level and in the 2. Division, in such a young age. I felt it went well at the time, and it was definitely the right thing for my development,” Thomsen says about his time in FC Fyn.

A year ago, when he was 16-year old, Thomsen played his first senior match against Viby. However, despite the debut FC Fyn was not the right place for the talent.

“I didn’t get much match time in FC Fyn; I was often on the bench and only played a few minutes once and again. When it comes to it, I only trained with FC Fyn and the level wasn’t that high to be honest. I felt that I had to move to a better club, and OB was the obvious choice.”

In OB, Thomsen had to spend some time adjusting to the new settings, but feels that he made the right choice. In no time, the talent became a profile in the U19 squad, as well as getting matches for the reserves. The manager of the U19's in Odense, Jens Madsen is confident in the future for the young player.

"The club sees a great potential in Anders; we have a really good 95 year with three other players around the U18 national team. Players that is great in 1 v 1, decisive for a match and capable of scoring goals are player every club wants to have, but it is hard to say if he makes it. However, he certainly has the potential to become a Superliga player,” Madsen says.

Jens Madsen is not the only one who believes in the talent; Anders Thomsen is confident he will make it at least in the Danish Superliga. The first target is to get a senior contract and then have his breakthrough in the domestic league. Furthermore, Thomsen aims to be a part of the national youth teams all the way to the U21 and then hope to get his chance for the Danish senior national team.

Despite, having been on a trial in both Norwich and Blackburn Rovers English  football is not the first priority when it comes to playing abroad. Instead, Holland or Spain or other strong leagues where technique is important is a dream for Thomsen. The talent seems to have planned his career for the next couple of years, and he is certainly a player worth following!










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  • Name: Torbjørn Billeskov
  • Age: 18 (09-03-1995)
  • Position: Striker
  • Club: Brøndby IF
  • National caps:
    • Denmark U18: 
      • 2 matches
      • 0 goals
  • Value: Unknown

It has gone fast for this week's talent; in one  year, he has joined Brøndby from Nordvest FC and this week he had his debut on the Danish U18 national team. The talent of the week is Torbjørn Billeskov.

Billeskov was not one of the many talents scouted by Brøndby, nay the striker contacted the club himself. He got one week to impress the coaching staff. Today, Torbjørn Billeskov is the topscorer for the U19's with 8 goals this season, and more to come.

Brøndby coach Peter Foldgast is full of superlatives when describing his striker:

“He is a very quiet guy. He works 100 per cent in every match also defensive and is really helping his teammates; a real team player. Outside the pitch he is a very quiet guy with the need of waving his arms around,”

And added, “He don’t take that extra dribble, when he gets the chance he shoots, and that is a quality.”

The first year in Brøndby has brought a double to Billeskov, winning both the U17 League and Cup in Denmark. This week he played his two first national matches for Denmark, when the U18's met Island in Farum.

“It was something I had dreamt about for a long time; it has been a target since I started in Brøndby,” Billeskov says.

The first matches in the national shirt have given Billeskov a taste for more, and he believes that he will be a part of the Danish youth teams in the future. Nils Nielsen, Manager for the Danish U18 team  assures that if Billeskov can keep scoring goals, he will be interesting.

“To be honest Torbjørn is one of a kind; there is no one compared to him. He is a very special type, an old fashioned centre forward who is here to score goals,” Nielsen says.

Billeskov is still waiting for his chance to train with the Superliga squad. However, Brøndby is currently in an economic crisis and may end up selling some of the profiles. This can push Torbjørn Billeskov into the senior squad, and the striker is aware of it:

“If they can’t afford the expensive players, they have to use some of us instead.”

However, while Peter Foldgast sees  potential in the striker, he believes that Billeskov will be a part of the youth team for at least a couple of years. So far, Billeskov is settling with matches for the reserves until he will be ready to take the next step. One thing is for sure:

“I will like to stay in Brøndby for a couple of years and play some Superliga,” Billeskov says.






 


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