One story that understandably hasn’t received a lot amount of press is Southampton FC’s continued interest in 18-year-old left-back Mads Bech Sørensen.
A couple of young Danish players have been in the news recently, with Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen allegedly offered as a makeweight in a bid for Virgil Van Dijk and Ajax forward Kasper Dolberg said to be on the radar of Manchester United.
Profile
Relatively unknown outside of his native country, Sørensen plays for Danish Superliga side AC Horsens as a left-back. Although he doesn’t feature regularly for the first team he has made 18 appearances over the last few seasons. He made his debut at 16, becoming the youngest ever player to feature for his club.
Although still developing at club level, Sørensen is certainly a regular for the Danish under-18 side. He recently captained the side in a 5-2 friendly victory over Greece, watched by representatives from the Saints scouting team.
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In November 2016 Sørensen joined up with the Saints under-18 and under-23 squads on trial, featuring in a training match and keeping a clean sheet. He later described his time with Saints as a “crazy good experience” that has spurred him on to keep improving.
He may be young, but both his club and the Danish media recognise his potential. His physical presence and ability to read the game have particularly been picked out.
The fact that he has been training with the first team suggests he may be closer to regular first team action than his recent exposure at that level suggests.
Potential to move
Horsens manager Bo Henriksen is keen to keep hold of his biggest potential asset. The club believe that Sørensen would be best served continuing his development in Denmark before considering a big move abroad.
There is also no guarantee that Saints will be his first choice when he does eventually move. When questioned about Southampton FC’s interest in Sørensen’s, Henriksen said “It’s not just Southampton. It is most clubs, not only in Denmark but throughout Europe because he is playing the U18 national team. He has some prerequisites that are so eye-catching, so there is no doubt that there are many who are looking.”
Who these other clubs are is still unclear. Sørensen’s future could be exciting and he appears to be one to watch, if not in this transfer window then certainly in the next couple of years.