After making the cut for the clash against the Norwegian outfit, the talented teenage sensation of Ghanaian parentage is now itching to make his bow in the second tier European Cup contest on Thursday
Danish-born Ghanaian teen Malik Pimpong has said it would be a ''dream'' for him to make his first-team debut with Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland in the Europa League tie against Norwegian elite division club SK Brann.
The 18-year-old, who has been stirring for the U19 youth ranks, has been named in the 22-man squad to face their European counterparts in the away fixture at the Brann Stadion tonight.
Speaking ahead of the clash, the ever-green budding star has told his club's official media channel: ''It has been something completely different from playing U19 football. I am really grateful that the coaches have given me the opportunity to come along. It means a lot. You really have to get used to the pace when you're a senior, and I can also feel that the physics are completely different compared to the U19s, so that's at least something I've taken with me.''
He added: ''It's a dream for me if I come in tomorrow and make my debut. You never know, but I hope. At least I'm ready on the bench to come in and give everything I have.''
He continued on his progress by passing through the academy ranks until this level with the first-team squad: ''It has been a tough, but also an incredibly good journey. Since I was little, FC Midtjylland has been my favorite club, so when I got the opportunity to play for the club as an U13 player, I was really happy. From there I have built on, and now I am facing a potential debut tomorrow. It is difficult to put into words. I'm happy to have had the opportunity to play Youth League in the fall, and now I'm in the squad for a Europa League match. I can see that it's a big step, so it's really great that I've come here.''
Pimpong has so far netted 16 times in 16 game appearances for the FC Midtjylland U19 side across all competitions in this current campaign.
Born in Denmark to former Ghana international Razak Pimpong, Malik remains fit to play for Ghana on the international stage despite playing for the Denmark U17 & U18 national youth team.
Below is the 22-man squad to face the Norwegian outfit tonight:
1. Jonas Lössl
3. Lee Han-beom
4. Ousmane Diao
6. Martin Erlic
8. Philip Billing
10. Cho Gue-sung
11. Darío Osorio
14. Edward Chilufya
16. Elias Olafsson
19. Pedro Bravo
20. Valdemar Byskov
21. Denil Castillo
22. Mads Bech
33. Alamara Djabi
35. Bilal Konteh
43. Kevin Mbabu
48. Malik Pimpong
55. Victor Bak
58. Aral Simsir
60. Mark Ugboh
74. Junior Brumado
80. Dani Silva
