'A dream' - Inside Bodo/Glimt's remarkable rise as Man United and Ruben Amorim sent warning

Bodø/Glimt will arrive at Old Trafford to take on Manchester United this evening as one of European football's biggest success stories

The Norwegian champions were only promoted back to the Eliteserien (Norway's top flight) ahead of the 2018 season but they have established themselves as Norway's premier side, continually beating off the challenge of the traditional bigger clubs.

Under the management of Kjetli Knutsen, Bodø/Glimt have won three of the last four Norwegian titles and have not finished below second in any of the last five seasons. They have also made their mark in Europe, making headlines when they thrashed Jose Mourinho's Roma 6-1 in the 2021/22 Europa Conference League - a competition they reached the quarter-finals of.

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Based in the arctic circle, their Aspmyra home stadium has become a fortress. Temperatures become excruciatingly cold in the winter and they play on astro turf, making it an extremely difficult place for opposition sides to visit.

Their recruitment and development of players is among the best in Europe and despite consistently losing some of their better players, they continue to recover and compete at the top end of Norwegian football. Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface is one particular example of a player who cut his cloth at the club, and Jans Petter Hauge earned a move to AC Milan.

And while United secured the services of one of Europe's brightest managers in Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim, Bodø/Glimt have their own in Knutsen. The 56-year-old Norwegian has turned down the Ajax job and has been heavily linked with Brighton and Hove Albion in the past.

As Amorim makes his Old Trafford bow this evening, it will be no surprise if Knutsen has a plan ready to nullify United.

"Knutsen is a very impressive manager who is able to turn a lot of youngsters into real quality players, with some of them going on to do great things in Europe," Matthew and Anker from Football Norway told the Manchester Evening News.

"He has also taken Norway by storm and although we would love to keep a talented Norwegian manager in Norway, he probably does have bigger ambitions than to only lead Bodø/Glimt to Champions League.

"Although only the future will tell. He definitely has the capability to potentially manage in the Premier League in the future, but it depends if he really wants it. He turned down Ajax, and never really pushed for anything when linked with Brighton. Maybe he is waiting for the perfect job to come round, whatever that is, or he feels he has unfinished business with Glimt, but who knows."

And if Knutsen is waiting for the 'perfect job' in England, he will have no bigger audition than taking his team to Old Trafford in the Europa League this evening. It is a huge week in their history, with the trip to Manchester followed by a huge weekend in the Norwegian football calendar.

Glimt head into the final weekend of the Eliteserien one point above their nearest title rivals SK Brann and they just need to better their result when they take on already relegated Lillestrom to win a fourth title in five years. But while the importance of Sunday's game is not lost on them, their trip to United has dominated the headlines in Norway this week.

"Playing against a Premier League side, especially one as big as Manchester United, makes for a lot of headlines. Going to Old Trafford is a dream for the majority of football fans and players here," Matthew and Anker added.

"The players themselves have also been speaking about how much they're looking forward to the match and getting to play at Old Trafford. The only way I can put the excitement and feeling into perspective is if a lower league club in England drew United away in the FA Cup. It’s a massive deal."

Such has been Glimt's success, they actually head to Manchester one point and three positions above United in the expanded Europa League table after wins over Porto and Braga and are on course to qualify for the knockout rounds.

A win at Old Trafford would move them four points clear of United and leave Amorim's side scrapping to qualify for the next stage of the competition. And while they acknowledge their underdog tags, there is a quiet confidence they could spring a surprise in Amorim's first game in charge at Old Trafford.

"For Bodø/Glimt, Manchester United is a great team with a great history," the pair concluded. "However, they are a team that is struggling to find form and right now might not be at their greatest point. So if there ever was a time to believe you can beat Manchester United at Old Trafford, it's now.

"Bodø/Glimt is a team that plays with a lot of confidence and as we previously mentioned about it being a huge game for the players, so they will be really up for it. It just depends if they can not get ‘overwhelmed’ by the magnitude of it all - like they did earlier this season when they played Red Star Belgrade in the final Champions League qualifying game."