According to Goal, Manchester United are keen on a move for Mathias Normann.
He is reportedly being valued by FC Rostov at between £15-20 million, with Sevilla also said to be keen.
Normann is not a household name by any stretch, but he is a player who has worked with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before.
Here is a look at five facts about the potential United signing…
- Normann is a 23-year-old central midfielder who has one cap for Norway. He has one goal and three assists in 11 games for Russian side FC Rostov this season.
- He has played briefly in England before, with Brighton and Hove Albion. Normann only played under-23 football for the Seagulls, before being sold to FC Rostov for just £1.5 million in January.
- The midfielder has played under Solskjaer before, with the United boss signing him on loan twice from Brighton for Molde. He played 18 games in total, and it would have been more if not for injury.
- Normann is currently learning from former Russian international Valery Karpin, his boss at Rostov. He told Norweigian outlet Nettavisen: “He motivates me in every way. He is very authoritarian and is a manager. When he talks, you listen.”
- He is an industrious central midfielder with a creative side. This is reflected in his career numbers. Normann has five goals, 17 assists, and 24 yellow cards.
What Solskjaer said
When he first signed Normann, Solskjaer told Eurosport Norway: “We are very pleased to bring in Mathias for the rest of the season.
“He is a quality player, which he particularly showed in the Tippeliga last year when he showed clear leadership skills. He compliments the other midfielders we have in an excellent way.”
Would he be a good signing?
Genuinely we do not expect United to actually sign a midfielder in January, it is likely to be a striker as our only addition. Several signings are needed, we just expect United to prioritise one.
So if along with a striker, United could get Normann in too, it would be preferable to nobody else.
This would just feel like an overpay, spending £20 million on a player who cost just £1.5 million this past January and could not get into Brighton’s team. Has that much really changed for the 23-year-old in the past few months?
It might be preferable to take a gamble, than spend £50 million on Sean Longstaff, but this one would feel a bit like a panic buy.
United do need midfield numbers, and it is good to gamble on potential, but really a proven top class player is needed, especially if Fred under performs.
James Garner could step up over the upcoming months too, and Normann would really have to keep improving to suggest he is worth spending on.
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