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Sander Berge is a household name for those who play Football Manager. Sheffield United signed 21-year-old Berge for a club-record fee of £22m. This is the fifth time the club have smashed their transfer record since being promoted to the Premier League.
The Norwegian international had been linked to numerous big clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool, Napoli and Barcelona in the past. The most recent side was Manchester United led by Berge’s compatriot, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But that did not happen, even though some people had thought they saw him arrive for a medical.
Berge began his professional career with Norway’s second-tier club, Asker, when he was 16. He upgraded his team signing for Valerenga two years later. He quickly established himself as a key player for the club, he made 36 senior team appearances across the two seasons he spent at Valerenga before Genk secured his services in 2017.
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It took a while for Berge to climb up the pecking order in Belgium club’s squad under Albert Stuivenberg. Things changed when Stuivenberg was sacked and Philippe Clement replaced him. Clement made clear that Berge was going to play a key role in his team. From there on, Berge became the fulcrum of Clement’s setup.
Genk enjoyed resounding success reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the 2017-18 season. Last season, Genk won the Jupiler Pro League with Berge making 28 appearances and grabbing four goals. This season, he has made 22 appearances for Genk in Norway’s 1st division scoring four goals.
Style of play
Berge is a very versatile defensive-midfielder who is able to play in a three-man midfield, a pivot or sit alone ahead of the defensive line.
Berge is an archetypal midfield maestro and does almost everything you can think of. His ability to progress the ball forward is a key highlight of his game. He can spray passes from anywhere to any point on the pitch. You'll see him recycling possession, keep the ball moving and do layoffs.
He also tends to play long through balls to full-backs or wingers to give them a numerical advantage and create a 1v1 situation. The most surprising statistic comes from his Champions League group stages performances. He completed 72.7% of his dribbles completed 70.9% of his attempted long balls. This rate matches the likes of Toni Kroos, Thiago and Rodrigo. To achieve this feat with Genk earlier this season was truly sensational.
Standing 6'5", he established himself as a gigantic figure in the middle of the pitch. Norwegian’s broad frame would suggest he is less agile and not an efficient ball-carrier. However, Berge's long legs are very flexible and help him cover large areas of grounds with adept dribbling ability. He is able to drive through tight spaces and defenders can’t do much to stop him.
Berge is just not good on the ball but also provides physical steel against dominant sides. He is an astute tackler of the ball, knowing the right time to make a move and dispossess the opposition. He presses relentlessly and involves himself in harrying of opposition players. He lacks pace but he doesn't let it affect his game. His ability to track back opposition with good positional awareness and laser-like concentration. This also helps him preventing the opposition from carving out too many chances
Future at Sheffield United
Berge is a unique addition to Chris Wilder’s ambitious side. He becomes the only player to play in the Champions League in the current Blades’ squad. He is a highly talented youngster who doesn’t only fit in the bills but also in Wilder’s system. Wilder’s move to start him against Crystal Palace makes his plans clear.
He sets his team up in a 3-5-2 with three midfielders recycling the possession and dropping deep when not in possession. Berge will replace John Lundstram as Oliver Norwood and John Fleck are enjoying brilliant campaigns at Bramall Lane. Berge’s football IQ is miles ahead of his age. He picks the right pass, makes the right tackle and positions himself in the right area to either cut passing lanes or become a passing option.
With Berge at Wilder’s disposal, the former Oxford United manager adds depth while they look to contest Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Wolves for the European spot. The aforementioned teams sit in the advantage of one point from Sheffield with 13 games to go. The Blades are favourites and if they get into the Europa League, Berge will be a key cog.
Berge will take a couple of weeks time to get used to the high intensity of Premier League but to get hold of a player as young as 21, who has 20 national caps and made over 100 appearances in senior teams for £22m price bracket is an incredible pull off by Sheffield’s backroom staff.
