Former Liverpool Prospect Martin Hansen Now ADO Den Haag's Hero

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Martin Hansen is rebuilding his career at Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag and showcasing how great he is.

Liverpool fans are likelier to recognise Alan Hansen, who played 620 times for the Reds, or the Hanson song "MMMBop" than Martin Hansen, even though the Dane spent six years at Anfield.

Signed from Brondby as a 16-year-old in 2006, Hansen immediately impressed then-Liverpool academy manager John Owens.

"Martin Hansen came in for his first game [against Chelsea] and looked the part straight away," Owens told Mark Platt of Liverpool's official website. "It was a very pleasing debut."

Hansen developed steadily over the next few years and was philosophical about theoretically displacing then-Liverpool No. 1 Pepe Reina.

"I know that goalkeepers are very, very lucky if they are playing [first team] games when they are 20-years-old," Hansen told Jimmy Rice of Liverpool's official website. "After being on the bench I'm even more hungry. I just have to keep working hard."

Hansen was not a prodigious goalkeeping talent, so there was never a rush to elevate him into the No. 1 position.

Conversely, he was not experienced enough to be a viable No. 2, a la Brad Jones or Diego Cavalieri. 

Amid an uncertain future, Hansen grafted alongside fellow Liverpool goalkeeping hopefuls Dean Bouzanis and Peter Gulacsi.

Bouzanis is the backup to Ante Covic at A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers while Gulacsi is the No. 1 at Austrian Bundesliga champions Red Bull Salzburg.

Two seasons of experience with Danish clubs Viborg and Nordsjaelland were enough to convince ADO to give Hansen another shot to make it in one of Europe's main leagues.

Nation	Position	Age	Height	Weight
Denmark	GK	24	6'3"	176 lbs

Hansen's outstanding saves for Nordsjaelland against FC Zenit in a UEFA Champions League qualifier may have played a role in securing a contract at ADO, per RIANovosti:

"

Zenit spurned two early chances on the trot when Luis Neto volleyed straight into Martin Hansen's grateful hands before the ex-Liverpool goalkeeper smothered Hulk's effort to skip around him in a one-on-one.

Hansen, 23, then fell at the feet of Andrei Arshavin at full stretch, denying the former Arsenal man in an identical manner. He would make a near-identical save from Arshavin later on.

"

"My agent phoned me and said ADO Den Haag is interested in you, and then really for me, it was a no-brainer," Hansen told ADODenHaagTV. "The Dutch Eredivisie is a really good step for me."

Taking over from former ADO No. 1 Gino Coutinho—now at Excelsior—Hansen has been in career-best form, which has kept seasoned veteran Robert Zwinkels at bay.

Hansen's seven saves in ADO's 3-0 win over Groningen earned a 9/10 rating from WhoScored.

A Jerzy Dudek-esque double-save to thwart Groningen central midfielder Tjaronn Chery from scoring was world-class. Hansen served up another astonishing double-save when rebuffing the attempts of Groningen substitute Michael de Leeuw.

Credit: WhoScored.com.

Two months into the Eredivisie season, Hansen has accumulated the third-most saves inside the penalty area. 

Hansen has been so dominant that ADO fan Thijs Werkman asked him this question.

ADO need every save from Hansen because he is the man who will ensure that the club remain in the Eredivisie.

If Hansen can transition from top-flight-standard footballer to an elite goalkeeper, returning to Liverpool down the road could be a possibility. 

Right now, Hansen is a more prolific shot-stopper than Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

League Only 14-15	Martin Hansen	Simon Mignolet
Penalty-Area Saves Per Game	1.9	1.1
Long-Distance Shots Saved Per Game	1.8	1.4

Credit: Squawka.com.

Liverpool may have forgotten about Hansen, but he hasn't forgotten about the Reds.

Statistics via WhoScored.

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