Rafik Zekhnini was dropped from Odds BK's matchday squad on Sunday for their Norwegian league clash against Viking FK, amidst strong interest from Manchester United.
The 17-year old wonderkid has recently revealed his dreams of a move to Old Trafford, declaring that "Manchester United top the wish list.” Borussia Dortmund are also keep a close eye on the situation after his dazzling performance against them in last Thursday's Europa League clash.
Manager denies significance of Zekhnini's absence
Odds BK manager, Dag-Eilev Fagermo, played down his decision to drop Zekhnini from his matchday squad, despite the move naturally sending rumour mills across Europe into overdrive. Fagermo cited fatigue as his reasoning for dropping the talented winger, claiming that he had played too many games over the past few weeks.
This seems a reasonable response, given that the club's involvement in the Europa League qualifiers meant that Odds had played nine matches in the last month before Sunday's contest, but the refusal of club CEO Einar Håndlykken to comment on whether he is currently in contact with United suggests a transfer may well be on the cards.
Zekhnini starred despite losing to Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund ran out 4-3 winners in Norway on Thursday in their Europa League qualifier against Odds, but had to come back from 3-0 down, a lead that was built up largely by the impressive play of the young Zekhnini.
German international Mats Hummels was particularly impressed by the Norwegian winger from Skien, and particularly his age. When told that the winger he had been praising in a post-match interview was just 17-years old, he exclaimed, "What?! He's 17 years old? What the hell?! He was very quick and very good."
Ødegaard comparisons
Fagermo has certainly put a lot of faith in Zekhnini, recently claiming that "Rafik has greater potential than Martin Ødegaard."
Ødegaard has recently made a big-money move to Real Madrid at the age of just 16, and whilst Fagermo acknowledges that Zekhnini is currently behind his fellow Norwegian counterpart in terms of development, he claims that "The intensity and speed of Zekhnini is extreme. He is better at dribbling and unsettling defenders. That is what will allow him to go beyond Ødegaard."
Having been almost completely unknown a week ago, Zekhnini has been thrown into the spotlight and must be able to cope with the pressure that comes with his newfound fame as Manchester United step up their interest. Odds are bracing themselves for an official bid from United in the coming days.