• Of note: Kristoffer Løkberg is a Vikings player and a teammate of Markus Solbakken.

When, as a young and passionate footballer, I spent most of my free time at “Myra”, I happened to observe a Strindheim boy three years his junior playing ball and his friends.

Left footed, not the greatest at the time, but he was very good at protecting the ball and not giving it away. Just as his father tricked him, the world’s best attacking striker, Gøran Sørloth.

The man from Rissa moved to the city and started his distinguished career at our club, Strindheim. We all wondered if the son would be able to follow in his father’s footsteps, given that he had the right genes.

Alexander passed on in his youth from Strindheim and to the youth department of Rosenborg. Parallel to physics, the outside world’s expectations of Gøran’s son are increasing. Can Rosenborg get a new Sørloth as a tank center, play-up point and goalscorer?

The breakthrough at Rosenborg never came to pass, instead prioritizing a striker in the name of Tomas Malec, but a highly successful loan spell at Bodø/Glimt gave the youngster a boost. Alexander’s career.

Nearly ten years later, the Strindheim boy is playing for clubs in Denmark, the Netherlands, England, Germany, Turkey and Spain. So far there have been 49 international matches. Gøran quit at the age of 55.

The roles have now been reversed. Alexander no longer referred to as his father’s son. When Gøran traveled and saw the promising Strindheim boys playing at Myra, they whispered: “See, there’s the father of Alexander Sorloth”.

Sorry Goran!

– How patient can we be?

Another person who has earned the “father’s son” label is my teammate Markus Solbakken.

Throughout his life, Markus had to live up to the expectations of those around him because of his father Ståle’s solid playing career and fantastic coaching career.

Since he made his debut at the age of 16 for HamKam, he has received a lot of attention. And its detractors are probably at least as numerous as its supporters.

Was he trusted because he was Ståle’s son? Is he prioritized over the others, because he is the son of the national team manager?

He also took great care of him when he had to replace one of Eliteserien’s greatest players, Joe Bell, when he joined us at Vikings in the winter of 2022.

His first season, like the rest of the team, was marked by high peaks and deep valleys, and those around him wondered if he was really up to it. In it we see a young player with great potential, but it takes time and experience.

Curious, willing to learn and dedicated, but how patient can we be?

– Complete transformation

A season and a half later, many say the transformation is complete. The fact is that he is a young player who has worked well over time, gained a lot of experience and stabilized his form. The top level has always been there, but now we see it almost every weekend.

And this, of course, is not a coincidence.

This past winter, we noticed something was going on. In February, we played a practice match in Portugal, against FC Copenhagen. Against dad’s former employers, Markus Solbakken was the best player on the pitch. Stronger, tougher and safer. Just a more mature footballer.

Between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Markus has purposely worked to gain a few pounds of muscle. This is to be able to take steps in parts of the game that were not at a high enough level before; defensive ones.

Close range, duels, you name it the war in midfield, Markus has come out as a bigger winner than ever. It has also increased the bottom level significantly.

Plus, with the coaching team at Vikings, he has hours behind him with video analysis. Since Markus came to the club, they spend hours together in front of the screen watching and discussing options for action from both training and matches. This of course also pays off, especially in the passing game.

The sixteen-year-old HamKam player is now 23 years old and a key player for the Vikings with a ten-match winning streak on Eliteserien. The heart of the team from his central midfield position, is simply one of Eliteserien’s best players this season.

– Ståle has a luxury problem

With such an appearance, of course, there will also be discussions about the national team.

Papa Ståle has now been treated to a luxury problem that I’m not sure if he himself would have come over a year ago. Should he bring his own son to the national team?

The argument for this is clear in the weekly shows on Eliteserien. During his reign, Ståle Solbakken has made it very clear that the in-form players from our league stand a good chance of being selected. Most recently demonstrated in the Bård Finne recall in June.

In addition, we see the development of the national team’s playing style in the past year. In addition to his well-organized defensive zone play, Solbakken senior wants more of a midfield trio who can ensure that Norway can keep the ball in the team and take the pressure off opponents with their skills on the ball.

The job description fits Solbakken’s son perfectly.

Arguments against can be found in the already strong competitive environment in the Norwegian midfield. His Eliteserien colleague Patrick Berg was among Norway’s best players at that June encounter. The trio he formed with Ødegaard and Aursnes has worked well.

Sander Berge is making himself more relevant in midfield with his club switch to Burnley, as well as the fact that occasional big-shot for Norway U21s in this summer’s championship, Joshua Kitolano, should no doubt be part of the discussion. as a potential new player in the squad. We can also mention that Genoa’s Morten Thorsby was left out of the squad in June.

– Strongly disagree with Solbakken

In the past, father and son Solbakken have emphasized that this is not without problems.

Personally, I totally disagree.

If Ståle, along with his entire coaching team, knew that his son deserved a place in the national team, based on the objective professional judgment of football, all would be well.

I firmly believe that the reputation of the national team manager within the group is so good that he has one hundred percent confidence from the rest of the group that it is the right choice in this regard.

In that case, the one who was having the most trouble was probably the boy himself. I promise he won’t get anything for nothing from his father in terms of requirements during practice or matches. On the other hand.

The squad for the games against Jordan and Georgia is close. Then we get the answer.

Markus Solbakken can enter the national team squad, with his father as coach.

If so, it’s not because.

But even so.

• National team A squad for the matches against Jordan and Georgia will be drawn on Tuesday 29 August at 13:00.