The Danish striker joins Midtjylland midseason, with the club second in the Superliga and the Europa League.
After four years in Philadelphia, Mikael Uhre has returned to Denmark. The Danish international moved to FC Midtjylland on a free transfer, hoping to bolster an attack that already includes the likes of Franculino Djú and Gue-sung Cho. Midtjylland currently sit second in the Superliga.
Uhre joined the Philadelphia Union in 2022 in a highly anticipated move. The Union had become synonymous with smart signings in MLS, but lacked the killer instinct needed up front to win MLS Cup. Superliga Golden Boot winner Uhre, signed from Brøndby IF for a club-record fee, was their man.
Season one yielded promising results for the Dane. After a slow start, Uhre ended the year with a bang, scoring 13 goals and assisting six as Philadelphia won the Eastern Conference. His role in the playoffs was limited as Uhre failed to score, but the Union still reached the MLS Cup Final, where they lost to LAFC on penalties.
With striker rivals Sergio Santos and Corey Burke gone, Uhre was expected to make a big step up in season two. While he remained a starter next to Julián Carranza, Uhre came under fire from manager Jim Curtin and struggled at times. Tai Baribo joined from Wolfsberger AC in the summer, too, in a move that seemingly signalled a lack of confidence in Uhre, who scored only 11 goals in 49 games.
The next year got even worse. While it wasn’t a miserable year for Uhre, who still scored ten goals and assisted five, the Union took a massive step back. Carranza, Uhre’s striker partner, was sold to Feyenoord midseason in a move that was supposed to launch his career, but instead started a complete collapse as Philadelphia missed the playoffs altogether.
The big changes continued in the offseason. Long-time manager Jim Curtin was sacked and replaced by Bradley Carnell. Playmakers Jack McGlynn and Dániel Gazdag were sold to other MLS clubs, while Philadelphia again broke their transfer record on a striker — this time, 22-year-old Uruguayan Bruno Damiani.
With the final year of his contract coming up, Uhre needed a big year. However, with Baribo’s rise as one of the best strikers in MLS and Damiani showing promise, the Dane could not cement himself as a starter. Injuries didn’t help, and he started only 16 games, scoring six goals and assisting seven as Carnell’s men surprisingly stormed their way to the Supporters’ Shield.
However, the playoffs were a different story. An early exit to New York City FC was underwhelming, with Uhre making a disappointing second-half cameo in a 1-0 loss. It would be his last appearance for Philadelphia.
Surprisingly, an immediate exit wasn’t ruled out, as the Union remained in talks with Uhre throughout the offseason. Despite Baribo’s move to DC United, the big signing of up-and-coming Ghanaian Ezekiel Alladoh, combined with the summer signing of Milan Iloski, gave Uhre a slim chance of being a starter next season.
A return to Denmark had long been rumored, and it was little surprise when he elected to return in January. Midtjylland, however, was an interesting choice, with the club seemingly set at striker with Franculino and Gue-sung Cho.
Franculino has been one of the hottest strikers in Europe this season, scoring 21 goals in 30 games. The 21-year-old is out after surgery until March at the earliest, making Cho the only experienced option up top for a team currently chasing success in both the league and Europe.
Franculino is also expected to move on in the summer, which may partially explain the decision to give Uhre a three-and-a-half year contract.
“I want to win as much as possible and play as much European football as possible. I have previously felt the feeling of becoming Danish champion and playing in the Europa League, and it is something I really want to try again,” said Uhre in a club statement.
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Image via philadelphiaunion.com.
