The 18-year-old Maurits Kjaergaard has achieved a brilliant opening to their career in the first squad of the Austrian champions, having already struck in the Champions League. The days of Red Bull Salzburg representing an undiscovered name in European football are far gone, with the recurring Austrian champions having blasted onto the limelight in current history with some sensational displays in the Champions League.
Not just have they been great to perceive on the big stage, but they’ve also been able to establish a defined path for their youthful side from junior football to Europe’s high level.
Since the final slice of the Salzburg puzzle was added in 2019, players including Erling Haaland, Hwang Hee-chan, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Patson Daka – among many others – have shifted on and thrived for club and country, with potential admirers lining up for the current squad, such as Karim Adeyemi and Brenden Aaronson.
Nevertheless, with so many extraordinary prospects in the Salzburg ranks, some extraordinary youngsters are doomed to be overlooked.
Although the Austrian side’s finest ever Champions League adventure came to an abrupt end in March with a catastrophic 7-1 loss to Bayern Munich, one scorer was forced to the shadows for most.
Maurits Kjaergaard, 18, netted a fantastic consolation goal that day, to become the competition’s second-youngest scorer this season. Kjaergaard has achieved progress into the Salzburg starting line-up ever since the spin of the year and has put himself ahead of his teammates in the quest to be acknowledged in Austria.
Kjaergaard commenced showcasing those technical attributes after entering Salzburg from Lyngby in 2019 for €2.6 million (£2.3m/$2.9m). Kjaergaard managed to score seven goals and planted on 14 assists for Salzburg’s 2nd feeder team, FC Liefering. With his blonde bolts and self-assured steps catching the attention on his bulging runs into opposition territory, Kjaergaard built the trust of Salzburg team manager Matthias Jaissle, and his major advance into the first team has prompted outcomes at the Bundesliga level as well, resulting in eight clear goal engagement in his first 20 senior games.
Kjaergaard’s gameplay currently has a glimmer of Kaka’s, and he’s continuing to show indications of a young Kevin De Bruyne, as he pushes players out wide and produces opportunities for strikers in various areas. He has a flowing dribbling ability that would be both aesthetically pleasing and effective in surprising opponents off guard as he sprints by.
Furthermore, as the finest players reflect, driving past opponents at full force is one thing, but showing the calm to pull out the perfect pass thereafter is another, as Kjaergaard’s high assist numbers to propose.
Salzburg inked him to a new agreement in 2021 that runs until the summer of 2024, but it hasn’t prevented speculations. Salzburg seems to be an excellent setting for youth like Kjaergaard to continue a bit longer, given the club’s track reputation of fostering young talents with a strong growth curve. And with a dazzling shop exhibit like the kind Salzburg presents for their young guns, Kjaergaard will have no shortage of opportunities in the future.
