Former Manchester United youngster Nishan Burkart sends Mario Balotelli towards relegation

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Former Manchester United youngster Nishan Burkart is making a name for himself in Switzerland.

Not every young striker who comes through Manchester United’s academy enjoys the remarkable rise Marcus Rashford has had through the years.

Indeed many don’t even get as far as the first team, see Nishan Burkart as a case in point.

Manchester United signed him from Swiss side FC Zurich in 2016, and he scored 20 goals at youth level for the Red Devils across under-18s and under-21s level, plus the UEFA Youth League.

He left United in 2019 without cracking the first team, signing for German club Freiburg. He has mainly played for their second team, making only one first team appearance, before being sent out on loan in his native Switzerland.

Burkart is at Swiss Super League side FC Winterthur, joining on loan for the season, and he has steadily been making progress.

Nishan Burkart outshines Mario Balotelli

Burkart, now 23, has made 25 first team appearances for strugglers FC Winterthur this season, and in doing so, he has scored his first professional goals.

It hasn’t been prolific by any means, Burkart has only three goals to his name. But his most recent one this weekend was the most important of the lot, and worth dozens.

FC Winterthur were taking on FC Sion, in a relegation six pointer at the bottom of the Swiss Super League.

They came into the game in 10th place, in the drop zone, with a FC Sion side led by Mario Balotelli placed in ninth.

Burkart scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 away win, to lift FC Winterthur into ninth and out of the relegation zone.

Former City forward Balotelli, who started the game, saw his FC Sion side sent into 10th placed and heading for the drop after Burkart’s winner.

All is not said and done yet. There are four games remaining, including an away trip to already crowned champions Young Boys on the final day of the season – but the former Manchester United youngster has given himself a chance.

Will this be the start of something special for Burkart? It’s hard to say, but his career is trending upward after a few seasons meandering in Freiburg’s second team.