How are you settling is?

The public, the crowd and all the players have made me feel very welcome. I like it here very much. Manchester seems like a really nice town, though I don't go into the centre that much. I prefer to stay at home in Altrincham, which is really quiet place outside the city. I'm living with my girlfriend, Silje, so that has helped me to settle in. It's very important to have her here.　

How would you describe your experience at United so far?

Life is smiling on me. I have absolutely no complanits. My debut goal against Blackburn was a dream come true and so were my goals against Forest and Vienna. I have to pinch myself to see if this is true, that it's really happening.

How did you feel when you heard United were interested in you?

I wasn't aware that United were watching me, but when I got the phone call to say they were interested I was very happy... there was no way I'd say no to them. It was a wonderful moment when I signed the contract.

Are you worried about getting enough playing time?

No, not at all. I'm jusy happy to play when I get the chance. If someone else plays up front that's OK with me because the manager picks the team. I have a five year contract, so I'm not in a hurry.

What's it like to play with Eric Cantona?

Its incredible. I had a football computer game at home and I always chose to be Cantona, so to play alongside him now is fantastic. I just have to make a run and he delivers the ball wherever I want it. I'm not very experienced, so to have Eric with me is wonderful. He has given me some helpful advice.

Tell us about your home in Norway...

Apart from the last 18 months, I've lived in a small town called Kristiansund all my life. There are only about 18,000 people living there. It's a fishing town right by the sea. I loved it there because I had a house on the coast, which had a beautiful view across the sea.

Are you homesick?

I haven't had time to feel homesick since I arrived. My parents came over for the Vienna and Tottenham games, so it was lovely to score in both of them. I have had some friends over as well and now I'm fully booked until Christmas with visitors!

Who were your footballing heroes?

When I was youner, Zico and Kenny Dalglish were my favourites. I studied them on televivion and tried to copy them. I'm still learning now from all my team-mates. In training I study Eric, Andy and paul to improve my own play.

How popular are United in Norway?

English football is very popular over there, and United are most people'e favourite. They've been loved since the days of Law and Charlton. People were hysterical when Ronny Johnsen and I signed for United. After every game there's a two-page spread in the newspapers just on us.

What is the Norwegian League like?

There's a huge difference between Norway and England. Over here, there's much more attacking football. They play from the heart. In Norway the game's more defensive, waiting to counter-attack for goals.

How did you survive the Norwegian winters?

They are very cold, so the Norwegian season runs from April to October to avoid it. We trained indoors a lot, which helped my game. It'll be a new experience for me to play at Christmas time. The season here is very long, but I'm not worried about getting tired as we have a big aquad with fresh players always ready to come in.

Has it helped having Ronny here?

Yes, very much so. We knew each other from the national team. For the first few weeks I relied on him a lot. We are room mates and in our spare time we hang out together.

When did you start playing football?

At the age of seven I joined my local team in Kristiansund, FK Clausenengen. They are the club closest to my heart. They are not doing too well at the moment, but they made a lot of money from my transfer to United via Molde, so that will help them make a new start.

When you played part-time in Norwegian Third Division, did you think you would play at the highest level?

I didn't think I would make it so big. But my trainer at Clausenengen told me I would make a good footballer. At FK, I didn't really think about having full-time professional career at all. I was hoping to possibly play in the Norwegian Premiership or First Division. when I got there I scored goals, so I wanted to take the next step. Now I'm at United, there isn't any further I can go. I hope to play here for the rest of my career.

Is it true you used to wrestle?

Yes, but it was a long time ago. when I was about 10 I did wrestling training for two years. My dad was a national champion in Norway for about seven years, so he tried to make me a wrestler as well. But I didn't like it. I was getting tossed all over the place, so I thought: "this isn't my sport."

what's the secret of your goal scoring?

I've always been a striker, I find it natural to score goals. The most I've scored in a game is none, when I was 19 years old. It's not just me, it's because I have played in good sides and been lucky. Most importantly, it's being in the right place at the right time.

(from 1996 Glory Glory)