Keep an eye on: Dario Dumic

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  • Name: Dario Dumic
  • Age:  21 (30-01-1992)
  • Position: Central Defence
  • Club: Brøndby IF
  • International Caps:
    • Denmark U20
      • 4 matches
      • 0 goals
    • Denmark U19
      • 12 matches
      • 2 goals
    • Denmark U18
      • 9 matches
      • 0 goals
    • Denmark U17
      • 12 matches
      • 2 goals
  • Value: £300.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk)

He was only 17-years-old when he changed the safe environment in Hvidovre with an adventure in Norwich City. Today, he Danish-Bosnian back in Danish football and representing Brøndby IF.

Norwich City saw the potential in Dario Dumic when they brought him to the east of England in 2008, and provided him with a 3-year contract. The Dane - at the time a midfielder - was meant to play with the U18 and reserves. However, after just one year as a youth, Dumic was promoted to the senior squad and had his debut against Swindon Town.

“I hadn’t expected to be playing because, at the time,  we had just gotten a new manager. The manager who promoted me to the first team squad was sacked after we lost 7-1 in our first match of the season. So I hadn’t expected to be playing – I was in the squad – but didn’t expect to be playing, so it was great,” the talent says.

While, Dumic joined Norwich as a midfielder, he had his debut as a defender. After his first month in Norwich,  the Director of the academy wanted to try Dumic out in the central defence.

“There was no hocus pokus about it; I tried it in one match and I did well. I then tried one more time and did well and then suddenly I was a defender,” Dumic says.

Only a year after his debut, Dario Dumic decided it was time to head back to Denmark and joined Brøndby on a free transfer. The defender was not a part of the 1st team squad in Norwich, and Brøndby offered an escape path. Furthermore, the talent felt that his development had stalled, and Brøndby had a reputation of developing young players.

"There was no idea of staying in Norwich if I was to train with the U19's; I could do that in Denmark, as well. I had also lost the passion for football at the time, because of the play style in Norwich," Dumic says and explains  "It was much kick and rush football, and as a young player I didn’t feel it helping my development.“

In Brøndby Dario Dumic started playing with the U19, with who he won the Danish Championship, and the reserves. Furthermore, he became a regular part of the Danish U19 national team. He was quickly promoted to the Superliga squad where he was given his debut against Silkeborg in 2011. The young defender was sent on the pitch in the 89th minute of the 1-0 victory.

Despite, playing most of his career as a midfielder or defender, Dario Dumic has often been sent up front if Brøndby has been a goal behind in the dying minutes of a match. The habit of sending Dumic up front began when he played for the Brøndby reserves, and the talent is sure that Auri Skabalius [Brøndby Manager] must have seen it as it continued when he was promoted to the Superliga squad.

Dumic has so far had 37 matches and scored 4 goals for the Danish youth national teams. However, Dario Dumic is born in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and is not closing the door for a national career for the Balkan country.

“As I haven’t played any matches for Denmark which locks me to the nation, I am still open for representing Bosnia. I’m born in Bosnia; my parents are born in Bosnia, so I love the country," Dumic says.

However, the defender is stressing that he is not about to take the decision in the near future as he doesn't feel he is relevant for any of the teams at the moment.

Instead, Dumic is concentrating on helping Brøndby in a time where financial problems and relegation is threatening the club's existent. At the same time, the talent is hoping to make it abroad again but stress that Brøndby is the first priority at the moment.

"It is not something I think about because we are in a hard situation in Brøndby, which we have to take care of, and I don’t feel I have had my breakthrough in the Superliga yet,” Dumic says about his future.

Dario Dumic and Brøndby are currently positioned third-from-bottom in the Danish Superliga, but can bring some distance from the relegation with a win against Randers FC tomorrow.






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Keep an eye on: Torbjørn Billeskov

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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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Keep an eye on: Mathias Redsted

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              Name: Mathias Redsted
               Age: 19 (06.07.1953)
          Position: Defender
              Club: Lolland-Falster Alliancen (LFA)
International caps: Denmark U18: 5 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
                    Denmark U17: 9 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
                    Denmark U16: 7 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
             Value: Unknown 
       


'Mathias is a talent. He's fast and defensive strong in 1:1. With some adjustments, he can be better in the offensive play. We expect a lot of him'.

                            - Jeppe Tengbjerg, Head coach in LFA
Mathias Redsted started playing football in the local club Slaglille-Bjernede Gymnastik of Idrætsforening, but joined Brøndby aged 10. It was quite an incident that Brøndby should be his club for many years:
'I have always been to Football Summer Camps, and after a couple of years, the camp coach had kept an eye on me and believed that I was something more than the ordinary, compared to the rest at my age'.
The coach, therefore, asked Redsteds father if the young boy should probably try himself on a higher level.
'My father didn't know much about football, and at the time Brøndby was one of the best teams in Denmark. I tried some different clubs; first Køge, but they didn't have time over the summer and then I ended up in Brøndby'.
In his first season in Brønby as a youth player, Mathias Redsted ended as number two on the top scorer list and third on the assist. However, asked if there is a striker hidden in the defender, Redsted laughed and said:
'Yes, but it is years ago! I have been moved around playing striker, then wing before playing defender and now I am at the right back'.
At the age of 15, Redsted was on a trial at the league competitors FC Midtjylland and offered a contract. However, the Dane rejected the offer and signed with Brøndby. It was an easy choice for the defender as he felt he could obtain the same education in Brøndby.

Redsted started in college and moved closer to the club and into the coach John Ranum's home together with some other talents.

The national youth teams also became available for Redsted when he was chosen for the U16 team. Here, he played 7 matches before being promoted to the U17 and later the U18. The defender acknowledge the impact the Danish youth teams has had on his career:
'It has given me some international experience. The training in Brøndby is at a high level, but when you're with the national team you know your with the best in the country'.
After eight years in Brøndby and a number of youth gold and silver medals, as well as training with the first team squad, the club decided not to give Mathias Redsted a new contract. After a trial at Lolland-Falster Alliancen, the defender signed a contract with the 2. division team. However, the former Brøndby player looks back at a great time in the club:
'Throughout the years I have had so many experiences both as a player but also as a person. All the tournaments and the matches on a high level, the football tours everything about the club, I would not have been without it'.
Mathias Redsted is aware that the change to a lower divison might have an impact on his future career for the Danish national team. However, the defender explains it as 'one step back and two steps ahead later'. He also made it clear that the most important for him was to have some regular match experience at this young age.
'It is great for my career to try something new and to show my self off for a new team. Here, I can take some responsibility as well'.
Even though, Mathias Redsted is now playing in a lower division the dream of an adventure abroad has not died.
'Holland, Spain or England could be interesting. I am a fan of technique football so Spain and Holland is to prefer'.
     
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Keep an eye on: Simon Makienok Christoffersen

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              Name: Simon Makienok Christoffersen
               Age: 21 (21-11-1990)
              Club: Brøndby IF
          Position: Striker
International Caps: Denmark U21: 12 match(es)
                                  2 goal(s)
                    Denmark U20:  3 match(es)
                                  0 goal(s)
                    Denmark U19:  8 match(es)
                                  1 goal(s)
              Value: £800.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk) 

Nicklas Bendtner is one of his idols, and given his physics, and strenght Simon Makienok Christoffersen has often been compared to the Juventus striker.

The tall Dane joined Herfølge (now known as HB Køge) as a junior, and quickly made his way to the senior’s team. On his nineteen year old birthday, he scored his first goal for HBK, and from that point he never looked back. Brøndby coach Auri Skarbalius was also the coach for Makienok in HB Køge. He says:

“Simon is a young player on his way to the top, and needs to keep developing. Given his physic he is a very exciting player to follow, as he is a weapon in the opponents box.”

Makienok Christoffersen had a leading role in HB Køge’s promotion to the Danish Superliga in 2011. The striker was the man behind not less than 16 goals that season, and even rejected a move to the Belgium Oud-Hverlee. Instead, he stayed in Køge, where he managed to score six goals in the Superliga, earning him a spot on the Danish national team for league players.

After two goals in three matches for the national team, the Danish manager Morten Olsen, announced that he would like to see Makienok in another club than Køge. Two days later, the striker has signed with Brøndby. The transfer should turn out to be the largest transfer ever, for his former club.

While Makienok left HB Køge after twenty four goals in sixty five matches, he has had problems finding the net for Brøndby. However, Auri Skarbalius has another view:

“If you take a look on the number [22] of matches Simon has played for Brøndby, he scores almost in every third match which is quite good.”

The coach also stressed that Makienok was the future of the club, and have a great potential.

Simon Makienok Christoffersen has represented a couple of Danish youth national teams and is currently playing for the Danish U21. Here, he scored as late as yesterday against Serbia. The striker is getting confident with playing international football, and his coach will not rule out that he might have a future in a bigger club:

“Only time will show how far he can go, but he has the physic and the mentality, but only time can show”.
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Follow up: Andrew Hjulsager - Five shot shootout

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Follow up: Andrew Hjulsager - five shot shootout

In relation to last weeks talent profile, Andrew Hjulsager answers 5 questions from the twelve yard spot.

Who is your idol? 
Iniesta. He is a complete footballer with an eye for the game, he is skilled at turning with the ball, good at dribbling, he is good at setting up a chance as well as scoring himself.  He is so decisive in his play.

What is your greatest experience? 
The U17 European Championship Qualification matches here in Denmark, where went on to the next stage with nine points [nine possible, Ed.] and played quite good.

Are you and your year the future of Brøndby IF?
Yes, I believe we are.  We have some really talented youth teams, and especially our year 1994 and 1995 are playing well. I believe a lot of us will be playing for Brøndby in the future.

Where is Andrew Hjulsager in ten years?
Then I am playing for Manchester United. It is and has always been my favorite team, ever since I was five years old. I like their way of playing football, and it is the world’s greatest club. It is just a fantastic club.

Who is the hardest opponent you have ever played against?
The hardest team I have ever played against was Anderlecht. We played against them three times and won once. The players are playing well together and only used one or two passes. They were really good.
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Keep an eye on: Andrew Hjulsager

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Keep an eye on: Andrew Hjulsager

               Age: 17 (15-01-1995)  
          Position: Central
                    Midfielder
              Club: Brøndby IF,
                    Danish Superliga
             Debut: Still to come
International caps: Denmark U17: 
                    14 match(es)
                     1 goal(s)
                    Denmark U16:  
                     9 match(es)
                     2 goal(s)
             Value: Unknown

The young Brøndby talent joined the club from Fremad Amager in 2004 and have since played his way up through the youth department. Brøndby U17 coach, John Ranum said about the player:

"We [Brøndby] hope and believes that he can go all the way. He is a very creative player, with an eye for the other players. From his position as a 10’er, has he made a couple of goals, and at the same time, he is one of the players with most assists on the team.”

Andrew Hjulsager was a part of the Brøndby team which won the U17 Danish Championship in 2011. The team completed the season with twenty one victories in twenty six matches, and with a total of fifty eight goals – four of the scored by Hjulsager. 

The midfielder was in an early age on a trial with the German 1. Bundesliga club Hamburger Sports Verein. Andrew Hjulsager said about the trial:
“It started with a camp in Flensburg, where we were several players gathered together. After this, we went to Hamburg where we played a few matches and saw how things were in the club.” 

Even though, the player has been on a trial abroad, he is not ready to leave Brøndby IF. Hjulsager revealed that his next step was to have his debut on the senior team, “within two years time”. Brøndby coach John Ranum advice the player to stay in the club:

“I would never advice anyone to go abroad, because we have as good conditions here. If he has the talent as we are counting on, then he is good enough to get a breakthrough here and then the interest will still be there. He will then later have the opportunity to go abroad.”

A goal for the player is to play in the Spanish league as “it fits my style of play”, he said.

Andrew Hjulsager has so far played for the U16 and U17 Danish national team. He was part of the Danish U17 team that ended as number two in the Internordic cup, after losing the final against Iceland as well as the national team that was ranked as number two in the Syrenka Cup after losing the final against Poland. National coach, Thomas Frank, said about the player:

“Andrew is a very intelligent player who is fantastic good at making decisions in small spaces and in a short time. Furthermore, has he a fantastic kick, with both feet actually, but especially his right, where he is one of the few Danes who can shoot from distance.”

The Danish U17 team missed the chance to qualify for the European Championship, and therefore, Hjulsager has played his last match. Thomas Frank is not in any doubt on what impact the player has had on for the Denmark U17:

“He is one of our bearing players and has a fantastic mental intake of things around him. He performs under a lot of pressure, almost every time, often with a stabile performance and at times a super performance. He has had a great importance for the team with his creation of chances and at the same time, finishing himself.”

Both Andrew Hjulsager and Thomas Frank are convinced that the Danish U18 team is the next step for him.

Andrew Hjulsager and Brøndby U17 are currently positioned as the number one in the Danish U17 league, where he has scored seven goals. Hjulsager is also a part of the Brøndby reserves where he has played a couple of matches, latest against Aalborg BK, where he scored the only Brøndby goal in the 2-1 loss.

   
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Keep an eye on: Andreas Retz Laudrup

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Keep an eye on: Andreas Retz Laudrup
    
               Age: 21 (10-11-1990)      
          Position: Striker - Left Wing
              Club: FCN (FC Nordsjælland),
                    Danish Superliga
             Debut: 23-04-2009
                    against Brøndby If,
                    Danish Superliga
International Caps: Denmark U21:
                    6 Match(es)
                    2 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U20:
                    1 Match(es)
                    0 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U19: 2 Match(es)
                                 0 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U18: 3 Match(es)
                                 0 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U17: 5 Match(es)
                                 0 Goal(s)
                    Denmark U16: 2 Match(es)
                                 0 Goal(s)
             Value: £450.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk)

Andreas Laudrup had his youth career in Boldklubben Søllerød-Vedbæk before joining Lyngby BK in the 2006/07 season. Laudrup was invited on a trial to the Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam twice in his first year in Lyngby, and it was reported that Barcelona and Real Madrid also were interested in a tryout for the young player.

When Andreas Laudrup’s father, the Danish football legend, Michael Laudrup was hired as manager for the Spanish La Liga team Gestafe, Andreas joined Real Madrid. As Andreas Laudrups father is a well known name in Spanish football, the player decided to use his mother’s maiden name, Retz, to avoid attention around his personality. Danish U21 national coach Morten Wieghorst why the player chose to use another name:
“As soon as the name Laudrup is being mentioned, you think of especially Michael and Brian. People, conscious or unconscious, compare Andreas with his father and uncle. It is a heavy burden for a young player, but Andreas is aware of how it is and has become much stronger as well as a lot better in tackling this than he was before”.

The former FCN-coach also said that Andreas Laudrup was “beginning to make a name of himself”, and that it was “the best thing he could do, as people at some point will associate the name with him and not his father and uncle”.

During his time in Real Madrid’s youth department, the Spanish club was very eager to get him on a full time contract. Real Madrid’s youth coach, Juvenil A Alejandro Menéndez Garcia, said to the Danish newspaper B.T:
“What I have seen from Andreas Laudrup is very positive. He has the right ingredients to become a star player”.

When Michael Laudrup signed a contract as manager for Russian Spartak Moscow, the club tried to sign Andreas, as well. However, they younger Laudrup rejected and instead transferred back to Lyngby on a free contract, to play as an amateur.

Three months after his transfer to Lyngby, the young attacker, was about to sign with a new Dutch club Heerenveen, according to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. Asked if Laudrup is too good to Danish football, Morten Wieghorst said:
“Andreas is still a young player, and he is in a good club [FC Nordsjælland] at the moment, with a great environment, where they are good at developing young players. He has already of first team experience in the Danish Superliga, and he needs more of it before he can take the next step”.

In January 2009, Laudrup transferred to his current club FCN where he signed a contract for 3 years. He had his debut against Brøndby IF 3 months after he joined the club. Great performances for his club resulted in a place in the Danish U21 squad, where he had his debut in the 1-0 victory against Mexico. Morten Wieghorst, who at that time was Laudrup’s manager in Nordsjælland here, gives his view on the players’ strengths and weaknesses:

“He has his best forces in the offensive play. When he has players around him whom he can play combination plays with, then he is really dangerous for the opponent because he has  quick feet and at the same time he knows where his teammates are. What he is working a lot with and what he is putting in his play is to be more decisive in the matches and thereby bringing himself or his fellow player in a position to finish at goal”.

Andreas Laudrup signed a new contract with FCN last year, keeping him in the club for at least 2014.


Andreas Laudrup scores a goal for Lyngby (Youth match)
 
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Keep an eye on: Patrick Olsen

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Keep an eye on: Patrick Olsen

              Name: Patrick Olsen
               Age: 17 (23-04-1994)
          Position: Center Midfield
              Club: Brøndby IF,
                    Danish Superliga
    Official debut: Still to come
International caps: Denmark U19: 6 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
                    Denmark U18: 2 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
                    Denmark U17: 23 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
                    Denmark U16: 6 match(es)
                                 1 goal(s) 
             Value: Unknown


The young Brøndby IF midfielder Patrick Olsen is still waiting for his break through in the Danish Superliga, however, his talent has been discovered by other clubs from abroad. The Italian Serie B-club Atalanta had Olsen, then aged 16, on a trial in 2010.

"He is a fantastic technical and tactical player. He is very good at reading the game and what I like in particular is his ability to keep calm when he is under pressure."
                                          - Per Andersen, Danish U18 & U19 national coach

Patrick Olsen scored his only goal for the Danish U16 national team in his debut against Ireland in 2009. The year after he was one of the players to bring Denmark U17 to the 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship Qualifications Elite Round. The Brøndby player had not success with the national team but also with the club as they won bronze in the national league.

The Danish U17 national team made it to the 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship which Patrick Olsen was not only selected for; He also played him self on the UEFA All Star team:

"Brøndby IF prospect Olsen played an understated yet pivotal role for Denmark, always showing great calmness on the ball alongside Christian Nørgaard." - UEFA.com


The strong midfielder was also selected for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2011 where the dutch club Ajax Amsterdam was scouting him.

After only 2 caps for the U18 national team, Patrick Olsen, was promoted to the U19 team aged 17. Per Andersen said about the promotion:

"Patrick is from 1994 and plays on the national team for players from 1993. He has been promoted a year before schedules which means that right now he is competing with a few other midfielders. He is a player who is a part of the team to gather some experience but also because he has a great talent."

Olsen have also been a part of the Brøndby IF's reserves and is training with the Superliga squad. A break through may be the next for him, and Per Andersen believes that the young player has the potential to play on a higher level.

"He has the potential to play in The Premier League. Mostly because he is a winner-type and a mental strong player. It is hard to say if he will make it, but the potential is there."
                                   - Per Andersen,  Danish U18 &  U19 national coach
           
       
       
       
           Patrick Olsen shows some of his skills in an older video:




Special thanks to Per Andersen, DBU.



 
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