A espresso wagon that has been transformed into a conveyable video research hub is making its long ago into the FC Nordsjaelland (FCN) coaching bottom when the unexpected thud of soccer on crossbar brings it to a halt.
It’s the very particular tone of a Conrad Tougher try on function, a missile that may be introduced via his left understructure, proper understructure or head — person who Manchester Town will come face-to-face with on Tuesday after they tackle his brandnew aspect, Wearing Lisbon, within the Champions League.
On The Athletic’s seek advice from to Nordsjaelland in the summertime, analysts linger within the centre of the sound to look at this crossing and completing festival between Tougher and secure goalkeeper William Lykke, additionally 19, on the finish of coaching.
𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐅𝐞𝐣𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠Conrad Tougher #sldk pic.twitter.com/D6dUQftGWP
— FC Nordsjælland (@FCNordsjaelland) January 27, 2024
Former Chelsea and Ghana midfielder Michael Essien, now the workman supervisor at Nordsjaelland, is on crossing accountability and there may be slightly a supply around the 20 mins that isn’t gobbled via Tougher.
The Dane can do finesse however, relating to his most well-liked completing taste, it’s Tougher via identify, more difficult via nature. Even the under-10 staff’s coaching consultation was once paused as the kids watched and gasped in disbelief.
There’s no looking ahead to the ball to loose. Tougher takes on each shot as early as imaginable. He moves volleys as though eye the ball like a watermelon and, when it’s airborne, his hang-time is paying homage to a definite Portuguese ahead.
“My idol was Cristiano Ronaldo… but then Erling Haaland came along,” Tougher tells The Athletic as soon as the consultation is entire.
It’s useful that {the teenager} introduces Manchester Town big name Haaland into the dialog himself. As a imposing Scandinavian striker with bulging thighs, bouncing blond hair and a left understructure with the facility to outpace Hawk-Sight’s ball-tracking era, the comparability is inescapable. 5 years Haaland’s yongster, Tougher does now not need communicate of the Norway world to turn out to be an albatross round his neck. “He is a really good player and I’m watching his game to try to learn and go in this direction,” Tougher says.
“People compare a lot, especially with (Manchester United’s Danish forward Rasmus) Hojlund, who is also scoring goals now, but I don’t want to be one of them. I just want to be my own (man). That is the way I think.”
This dialog took park in July and, since later, the Danish striker has been inquisitive about a switch tug-of-war, rejecting Brighton & Hove Albion on cut-off date past to signal for Ruben Amorim’s Wearing in a €20million (£16.8m; $22.1m) switch.
Thus far he has come off the bench in two of Wearing’s Champions League fits and on his league debut registered his first function and lend a hand in opposition to Avs FS. He added a brace in opposition to Portimonense within the Taca de Portugal extreme occasion.
From the sidelines, Tougher seems to be abundance, however up akin his boyish look is startling. Nicknamed ‘Mosquito’ via Nordsjaelland team-mate Mario Dorgeles because of his concern of the ones bugs when visiting the Proper to Dream academy in Ghana two years in the past, he conveys the air of secrecy of somebody who already sees himself as a pacesetter within the staff.
Right through FCN’s small-sided coaching video games with rolling substitutions, Tougher’s aggressive edge is unhidden as he laments goalkeeping errors and harries defenders as though his while will depend on it. He’s extra of an all-round participant than a natural poacher however it’s sunny he lives for scoring objectives, which is why he’s described via some at FCN as “goal horny” — a Danish method of claiming he isn’t overly satisfied when he does now not put the ball behind the online.
Tougher in motion in opposition to Fenerbahce in extreme season’s Europa Convention League (Sergei Gapon/Anadolu by the use of Getty Photographs)
Tougher was once having his breakout yr with Nordsjaelland however, such is his ability, it was once curtailed via that deadline-day switch struggle between Brighton and Wearing, with Italy’s Napoli the alternative birthday celebration previous in the summertime.
Golf equipment were conscious about his ability for at some time, because of his goalscoring report for Nordsjaelland at formative years degree. He were given 15 in 18 video games for the under-17s, and 26 in 22 for the under-19s, however he nonetheless needed to be affected person earlier than breaking into the primary staff.
Tougher made his senior debut within the ultimate recreation of the 2022-23 season and later made 33 appearances throughout all competitions within the extreme one — simply 9 from the beginning — scoring seven objectives. Within the early weeks of this season, he had began all six league video games, scoring two times in a 2-2 draw with Midtjylland and generating a well-dressed lend a hand for what became out to be the winner as they beat FC Copenhagen 3-2.
The plan was once by no means for Tougher to go on right through the summer time window. Certainly, Brighton have been at the beginning having a look at upcoming summer time as the best future to pounce, however Wearing coming in so strongly compelled them to behave previous.
This was once to be Tougher’s first season as a usual starter for Nordsjaelland, the place he can be given territory to create and regulate to senior soccer. He even signed a brandnew four-year commitment in the summertime, a step that underlined that intent, however cash talks and, as soon as the brink of €20m was once breached, the membership needed to settle for he was once off.
The pathway introduced via Brighton was once for him to advance out on mortgage earlier than turning into a first-team participant. Of their favour they’d proof of managing a phased integration from Danish soccer to the Premier League as they signed Simon Adingra from FCN in summer time 2022 earlier than sending him to Belgian sister aspect Union Saint-Gilloise for a season. He returned a extra skilled participant and is now an noteceable a part of the Brighton squad.
Even if Viktor Gyokeres is the primary guy at Wearing, they may trade in Tougher a direct position within the squad and, in the end, that swayed his choice. It was once previous than those that have overseen his construction would have appreciated him to form that step and there may be the chance that any such jump this early into his occupation may well be difference, however he backs himself and believes he’s going to be a luck in Portugal. The riches of Premier League soccer will all the time be on trade in if that’s the case.
Nordsjaelland have bought over £90m significance of African ability advanced at their Proper To Dream academy in Ghana, however Tougher was once the original off the conveyor belt from their Danish academy, with Andreas Skov Olsen of Belgium’s Membership Bruges and Brentford duo Mikkel Damsgaard and Mathias Jensen all prior to now shifting for sizeable charges.
Adingra has excelled at Brighton (Jan Kruger/Getty Photographs)
Tougher’s choice to go to Wearing was once now not the primary tricky name he has needed to form. At 14, he made up our minds to loose FC Copenhagen and go to Nordsjaelland.
“I didn’t develop as much as I wanted, so I wanted a new challenge and FCN was a good option for me,” Tougher explains.
“I don’t know if there is a secret (in the way Nordsjaelland operate), but there are so many coaches around you all the time, working on the details at every training, it definitely helps. It is easy to go in the first-team squad, as you have been learning the same playing style the whole way.”
Tougher might need to keep away from too many comparisons with Haaland and Hojlund, however he does proportion an agent with the ultimate’s two more youthful dual brothers, Oscar and Emil, who play games in Germany for Eintracht Frankfurt and Schalke respectively.
Folk at Nordsjaelland all the time knew he was once destined for heavy issues. They simply didn’t be expecting that past to return so quickly.
Whether or not Tougher is in a position is every other query, however he does now not come throughout as a youngster who shall be daunted via a price ticket or the shadows of Scandinavian strikers looming immense.
(Lead photograph: Maciej Rogowski/SOPA Photographs/LightRocket by the use of Getty Photographs)
