Cardiff City will hope Ajax recruit can replicate Liverpool FC success story | OneFootball

Cardiff City will be hoping for a potential Marko Grujic mk2 in on-loan Ajax midfielder Sivert Mannsverk

Cardiff City turned heads with the loan signing of highly-rated Ajax midfielder Sivert Mannsverk, who penned terms to join Omer Riza's side until the end of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

Though a largely unknown quantity on English shores, Mannsverk's continental pedigree with both Norweigan side Molde - where one such Ering Haaland first made his mark - and Ajax is rightful cause for excitement heading into the remainder of the season.

It will be hoped Mannsverk can offer a fresh dimension to City's engine room in midfield, likely alongside Calum Chambers, with star playmaker Alex Robertson further forward in his favoured advanced eight/number ten position.

Of course, though, the 22-year-old's arrival does not represent the first time Cardiff have elected to use the mid-season loan market for a talented, young midfielder, and the intention will be for him to follow in the footsteps of a similar recruit in Marko Grujic, who starred for the Bluebirds some six years ago.

Marko Grujic impressed for Cardiff City on loan from Liverpool FC

Almost exactly six years to the day before Mannsverk was unveiled in the Welsh capital, Neil Warnock brokered a loan deal to sign Grujic on loan from Liverpool in an attempt to bolster Cardiff's shock automatic promotion bid.

It worked, of course; Grujic arrived with a glowing reputation and quickly set about showing just why that was the case, with his healthy blend of industry and class in the middle of the park making a crucial difference.

Grujic's physical presence and reading of the game allowed Cardiff to dominate midfield battles - central to how Warnock wants his teams to play - and played no small role in their eventual promotion to the Premier League, which was sealed on the final day of the season with a 0-0 draw at home to Reading as results elsewhere fell their way.

Such was the Serbian midfielder's influence on proceedings, Cardiff and Warnock pushed hard to sign him once again after sealing their top-flight return, ultimately falling short in a well-documented, summer-long chase.

Now, there are many parallels to draw upon between Grujic's signing and the arrival of Mannsverk. Both are of a similar age and profile, and it will be hoped the Norweigan can emulate the sort of impact exerted by Grujic back in 2017/18.

Cardiff City will want to replicate Marko Grujic loan success with Sivert Manssverk

On paper, Mannsverk appears to be an incredibly exciting acquisition and looks every bit capable of replicating, if not eclipsing, the performances of Grujic.

Comfortable on the half-turn, Mannsverk is excellent at bringing the ball out of defence and progressing play with his ball-carrying, with his physical frame enabling him to shield possession well. Naturally, having been on the books at Ajax of course, he brings real class and composure on the ball and that should help Riza's side to dictate the tempo to a better standard in midfield.

Off the ball, though, he also excels in winning duels and should bring yet more combativeness alongside Chambers in the double-pivot behind Robertson, representing the final piece in what now resembles an extremely promising second-tier midfield make-up.

Broadly, it's a very similar skillset to that of Grujic, who blended his ability to screen the defence and break up play with quality and composure when in possession.

Grujic's impact at Cardiff has not been lost on supporters amid the litany of successful loan stars who have since come and gone - namely the likes of Tommy Doyle, Cody Drameh, Harry Wilson, Jaden Philogene and Nat Phillips - and Cardiff appear to have made strong use of the loan market once again by sealing his arrival.