Isak Hansen-Aarøen

Isak Hansen-Aarøen (born 22 August 2004) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club NEC.

Hansen-Aarøen played for Tromsø's first-team at the age of 15, in the second-tier of Norwegian football, before joining Manchester United's youth system in 2020. He is a Norwegian youth international and has represented the country at under-15, under-16, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels.

Club career

Tromsø and Manchester United Hansen-Aarøen began his career in Tromsø's youth system. At the age of ten, he participated in the Manchester United Soccer Schools World Skills Final held at Manchester United's training facilities. In 2019, Hansen-Aarøen won the under-15 Talent of the Year award in a contest organised by the Norwegian Football Federation, TV 2 and Equinor's Heroes of Tomorrow initiative.

He made his senior debut for Tromsø on 6 July 2020, replacing Kent-Are Antonsen for the last minutes of a 2–0 win at Kongsvinger in a Norwegian 1. divisjon match. He became the youngest player in the club's history at the age of 15 years and 323 days.

In August 2020, he joined Manchester United. He had previously had trials with Liverpool and Everton. On 29 September he made his EFL Trophy debut for United's U21 team against Rochdale. On 2 October, he made his Premier League 2 debut against Blackburn Rovers U23s. On 27 August 2021, he signed his first professional contract with Manchester United.

Werder Bremen On 1 February 2024, the last day of the German transfer window, Hansen-Aarøen joined Bundesliga club Werder Bremen. He reportedly signed a contract until 2028. He made three appearances in total in the second half of the 2023–24 season.

In December 2024, after Hansen-Aarøen had not featured in the Bundesliga while scoring one goal in two Regionalliga Nord appearances for Werder Bremen's reserves, it was announced he would join Danish Superliga club Aalborg BK on loan for the second half of the season.

International career Hansen-Aarøen has played internationally for Norway at under-15, under-16, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels. On 20 February 2020, he scored a hat-trick against Slovakia under-16.

Career statistics

Honours Manchester United U18 FA Youth Cup: 2021–22