Aursnes' teammate: Benfica star's return affects my role | OneFootball

The availability shown by Fredrik Aursnes - who is currently injured - to return to the Norwegian national team, after having stepped down in March 2024, continues to be widely debated in the country. This time, Patrick Berg, a player for Bodø/Glimt, addressed the topic and supported his compatriot’s decision, despite acknowledging that he might lose his spot.

"For me, it wasn’t a big surprise. I’ve kept some contact with him through Andreas Schjelderup, who is a great friend of mine. So I felt that he was increasingly ready to return to duty," he said in statements to TV2Sport.

Capped 39 times for Norway, Berg was full of praise for the Benfica player: "For us, as a team, it’s fantastic because what he represents as a footballer and what he offers every time he plays for Benfica is of an extremely high level. I am totally convinced that, for Norway as a team, it will be fantastic to have a player like him in the squad."

Berg also acknowledged that Aursnes’ return could influence his own role in the national team: "This return will probably affect my role in the team, considering that he is also a midfielder and can play the role I have recently taken on in the national team. But if, in top-level football, someone complains that there is fierce competition for places in the squad, I think they’re starting off on the wrong foot."

This season, wearing the Benfica shirt, Fredrik Aursnes - valued at 17 million euros - has already played a total of 40 official matches: 21 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 12 in the Champions League, four in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In the 3,420 minutes he has spent on the pitch, the midfielder has recorded four goals and seven assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.