Nusa's failed Brentford medical, injury fears and why Man United want him before England clash

Antonio Nusa arrives at Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against England carrying the weight of a career that nearly unravelled before it truly began — and the attention of several Premier League clubs eager to finish what Brentford started.

The 21-year-old Norway winger came within touching distance of a £31.5 million move to Brentford in January 2024, with a fee agreed with Club Brugge before routine checks during his medical uncovered potentially serious knee and back problems. The Bees pulled out of the deal entirely, leaving Nusa to confront an unsettling period of uncertainty about his own physical condition.

Nusa has since spoken candidly about how difficult that time was. He admitted being genuinely afraid that something was fundamentally wrong with his body, and it was only after receiving the all-clear from specialists that he was able to refocus on his football.

Rather than letting the collapse derail him, Nusa rebuilt his form in the Belgian Pro League before earning a move to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2024. His development in the Bundesliga has been rapid enough to reignite serious Premier League interest, with Manchester United understood to be keen admirers. Nusa himself has acknowledged that a summer transfer is “very high” on the agenda.

Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are also reported to be monitoring him closely, and Saturday’s quarter-final against Thomas Tuchel’s England side — where Nusa is expected to target the right-back position left exposed after Jarell Quansah’s red card — offers him a global stage to sharpen those suitors’ interest.

From a collapsed medical to the World Cup last eight, Nusa’s trajectory has been anything but straightforward. How he performs against England could define where he plays his football next season.