Middlesbrough star’s honest admission on ‘new culture’ and comparisons to Arsenal ace after summer move

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Rob Edwards has made a fantastic start to life in charge of Middlesbrough, as he has managed to knit the squad he inherited and his summer signings together.

This incredible ability to do this has allowed Middlesbrough to make a perfect start to the Championship season, their best in 31 years.

Fans will be hopeful that there is a similar result at the end of this season to the one 31 years ago, as Middlesbrough finished top of the Championship, earning promotion back to the Premier League.

Middlesbrough will need this summer signing to be on top form throughout the campaign to achieve this ambition, and now he has addressed the decision to join the Teessiders.

• READ MORE: How West Brom felt about losing Tom Fellows to Championship rivals Southampton

Sverre Nypan opens up on loan to Middlesbrough

A hotly sought-after youth prospect with several European giants chasing after him, Sverre Nypan opted to move to Manchester City this summer before being sent out on loan to Middlesbrough.

The Norwegian has opened up as to why he moved to Middlesbrough following his move to Manchester City from Rosenborg, as reported by Teesside Live.

He said: ““I’m just adapting to a new culture, a new environment. It’s a lot of new things, and you learn so much by moving. It’s good.

“I’m trying to get a look around and see around the city. I’ve got a nice place, so I’m really happy with where I am right now. I’m just really looking forward to the year to come.

“I’ll keep going with the development. That’s the plan. And hopefully help the team as much as I can as a Boro player. My goal is to help this team this year and fight for promotion. You always have that belief anyway, you know?

“It’s been really good, but just stay in the same zone as we’ve been in so far. And if we start losing games, then just keep the same focus, keep the same motivation and keep the same drive.”

• READ MORE: How Southampton felt about selling Tyler Dibling to Everton and Mateus Fernandes to West Ham

Comparison to Martin Odegaard addressed by Sverre Nypan

Nypan made his senior debut at 15 and quickly became a regular with Rosenborg, which made him the target of Manchester United, PSG and Manchester City.

This youthful start and consistent game time before the age of 18 has drawn comparisons to Martin Odegaard, as he had a similar start to his footballing career; now Nypan has addressed these.

He said: “I haven’t had no contact with him [Odegaard], but I remember when he came through; it was around 2015, and I was a young player. He obviously became a role model for a lot of Norwegians at that time. And you can also see that he didn’t go right up to Arsenal. He had some ups and downs. So you just see that a player of that quality also has some ups and downs. You just have to learn from everyone and try to replicate what they have done.

“I won’t sit there and say that it’s not a nice comparison [Odegaard] because it’s an honour to be compared to a great player like that. Maybe the best ever from Norway! So it’s great to get the comparison, but we are not the same player. For me, we’re quite opposite. We are maybe in a similar type of area in the midfield, but the playing style is different. I won’t grow up to be a Martin Odegaard, that’s for sure.”