Keep an eye on: Thomas Hagelskjær

              Name: Thomas Hagelskjær
               Age: 17 (04-02-1995)         
          Position: Goalkeeper
              Club: AGF (Aarhus GF), 
                    Danish Superliga
    Official debut: Still to come
International caps: Denmark U17: 6 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
                    Denmark U16: 3 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
             Value: Unknown


The talented goalkeeper Thomas Hagelskjær joined AGF from Hjortshøj-Egå Idrætsforening aged 13. Hagelskjær signed his first contract with Aarhus GF after an amazing performance during the unofficial European Club Championship, Nike Cup 2010, where Hagelskjær also scored a goal against Portuguese club FC Porto. Hagelskjær was also selected as the best goalkeeper of the tournament. 

The strong performance caused attention from the Npower Football League-team Birmingham FC. However, it did not result in a contract. Instead, Hagelskjær signed a new 3-year contract with AGF. Director of Sports, Brian Steen Nielsen, said: 

"You have to be careful putting high pressure on such a young goalkeeper, but I have high expectations to Thomas. As I see it, he is a complete goalkeeper". - B.S. Nielsen to AGF.DK
Good performances for the club and being selected for the U17 Danish national team resulted in a trial as the German club Werder Bremen, but once again Hagelskjær returned to AGF.


Asked what his strengths and weaknesses were, the goalkeeper said:

"I am generally good all over. It is very important as a keeper that you do not have something that is lacking behind or else you will fail. I am strong at reacting If I have to point out one thing. I am working a lot on my physics as I want to become bigger and faster and general to develop the whole package".

A statement that is backed up by his coach in Aarhus GF, Henrik Skov:

"Thomas’ strength is that he does not have any weaknesses. I believe that he is an outstanding goalkeeper and a great talent. His biggest strength must be that he is  good in 1 on 1 situations and his aura as a goalkeeper. Another strength is that he is a perfectionist in a good way. He wants things to be in order and is very perfectionist about his own training and form which is a good quality for a keeper".
Hagelskjærs first aim is to be a part of the AGF Superliga squad within a few years and  to put a pressure on the current goalkeeper, Steffen Rasmussen. But the player is up for more:

“Premier League is an aim for me. It is without a doubt where I would prefer to play”.
Coach Henrik Skov believes that Hagelskjær has the potential to play in the Premier League, but only time will show if he makes it that far.