Sverre Nypan was subbed on and off in Middlesbrough's defeat against Bristol City
10:00, 21 Dec 2025
Ross McCrorie of Bristol City on the ball whilst under pressure from Sverre Nypan
Ross McCrorie of Bristol City on the ball whilst under pressure from Sverre Nypan(Image: Will Cooper/Shutterstock)
Kim Hellberg is backing Sverre Nypan to show his best at Middlesbrough, after the Manchester City loanee suffered the embarrassment of being subbed on and then off again in the defeat to Bristol City.
Nypan has been struggling to make an impact at Boro since joining on loan from City, just a month after moving to England from Norway.
The recently-turned 19-year-old has struggled with the intensity and physicality of English football and Hellberg admits he could do with a boost to his confidence.
While being subbed on and off in a game doesn't look great, Nypan did play just under an hour in the game, having replaced the injured Riley McGree early on.
Explaining why he turned to Nypan in that moment, and why he then took him off, Helberg said: “I brought him on because he’s good in the pocket. It was a football game that we were an offensive team, and he was prepared and worked in that position.
“I think he showed a lot of those things that are so good with him in terms of the mobility, in terms of working, in terms of quality driving the ball. So he just needs a little bit of confidence and then he will go like this [motions up].
“[Subbing him off] That was not a big thing for me. It was 61 minutes on the pitch, I think. So it was not related to performance. If you pick a player after 40 minutes, I look at it as he started the game. That’s how I look at it.”
Nypan's struggles at Boro, and lack of game time as a result, will leave his Boro future in doubt.
Man City have a recall clause in the upcoming January transfer window. But Hellberg is backing Nypan to prove himself on Teesside.
He said: “Absolutely. He’s working very hard and he did some very, very good things here. It’s just to get that confidence up and I have to work with that and I have to help him with that. But when you look at him, how he plays, he will have a bright future.”
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