Manchester United are always on the prowl for the hottest prospects in the game, and have distinguished Sivert Mannsverk as a January transfer target.

The 20-year-old Norwegian sensation has been making considerable progress in his homeland, at the maiden stage of his professional career, and has consequently piqued the interest of the likes of Arsenal, Ajax Amsterdam and United.

Indeed, with French publication Jeunes Footeux reporting after Christmas that the two prominent Premier League outfits were vying for his signature, intrigue is only set to intensify, especially considering Molde’s asking price of only €10m (£9m).

With an embedded sense of ball-playing prowess and a knack for finding the back of the net, Mannsverk could be the next big thing to arise from the ranks of the Scandinavian country, with one Erling Haaland also beginning his goal-frenzied career at the outfit. 

And in 2021, with the likes of Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion interested in a transfer, according to La Lazio Siamo Noi, there is a growth and upward trajectory that alludes to a career among the very best that the game has to offer.

Imagine him & Garnacho

The Red Devils are experts in finding young talent and nurturing it, with scores of football’s big names beginning their career at Carrington, or earning a move to the club in the early stages of their promising careers. 

And Mannsverk, who's made 62 appearances for Molde, scoring five goals and one assist, can encapsulate the shrewd moves often successfully forged by the Old Trafford hierarchy, arriving in England to play a peripheral role and perhaps earn a loan move, before inching his way into the first-team plans of Erik ten Hag.

As per FBref, the starlet ranks within the top percentile for progressive passes and interceptions across the globe's next best eight leagues - the divisions underneath the established 'top five' leagues - which indicates an immensely productive recycling effect with his play, snuffing out danger and swiftly searching for promising forward plays.

He also ranks within the top 9% for attempted passes and 10% for pass completion, and his passing excellence will certainly set him in good stead for a successful career at one of Europe's top outfits, such as United.

Described as a "superb" talent by scout Jacek Kulig, one can only imagine the partnership he might form with the Red Devils' 18-year-old sensation Alejandro Garnacho, with the fleet-footed winger utilising his gliding movements and lightning bursts of pace to latch onto the precise balls that Mannsverk unleashes from the centre.

Garnacho has received 40 progressive passes across all competitions this term, despite his tender age and having made just 13 professional appearances for the club, and would certainly flourish for years to come with a maestro such as Mannsverk orchestrating the play behind him.

With Arsenal also lurking, the club certainly do not want to see such a bright young star fall into rival clutches, and at an affordable price, he should be lured to the Theatre of Dreams immediately by John Murtough.