Man Utd wonderkid to QUIT club because of Ten Hag

Robin Bairner

• 10 Jan 2024 12:47 GMT
• 2 min read

Manchester United wonderkid Isak Hansen-Aaroen is primed to leave the club amid reports that he is unhappy with the lack of first-team opportunities that he has earned under Erik ten Hag.

The 19-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season but the Red Devils are prepared to offer him a new deal that will run until the summer of 2028.

Hansen-Aaroen is poised to reject this offer, with the Manchester Evening News reporting that he is “frustrated” by the lack of opportunities that he has been given at Old Trafford under Ten Hag.

Among the clubs chasing the teenager are Ajax, Atletico Madrid and Napoli, all of whom have offered him substantially better terms than United, whose package “does not come close” to those offered by the other teams.

The MEN reports that a January deal looks unlikely, despite Hansen-Aaroen’s refusal to sign a new contract. If a transfer were brokered, it would likely involved a big sell-on fee and a low buyback clause, making it unattractive for buying teams.

Hansen-Aaroen has yet to make his Man Utd debut and was not involved in the first-team squad at all as they struggled past Wigan Athletic 2-0 in the FA Cup earlier this week.

The Norway U21 international, however, has featured for the Red Devils in friendly action, featuring in two preseason games last summer. Indeed, there was much hype about his performance after he grabbed an assist against Leeds in Oslo.

"He did well, making a good pass for the first goal," Ten Hag said. "He’s really comfortable on the ball; he has good vision and good scanning. Of course he’s a young player; he has some deficits he needs to work on, which we will show him and tell him (about) and we will work with him to improve him."

While Kobbie Mainoo has broken into the first-team squad, Hansen-Aaroen has been left to play Premier League 2 games with the U21s, disadvantaged because of his slight build compared to his fellow midfielder.

The Norwegian, though, appears to have lost patience at Old Trafford and will seek another challenge.