Benfica's star man thanks Mourinho: he's incredibly good | OneFootball

After a season of establishing himself at Benfica, Andreas Schjelderup did not hold back in his praise for José Mourinho and credited the Portuguese coach with playing an important part in his development as a player. The forward highlighted the impact the manager had on his physical, tactical, and mental development throughout the season.

"He turned me into a stronger and more mature player. He helped me take a big step forward, both offensively and defensively, and to add more power to my game so that I can last the full 90 minutes and perform throughout the entire match. I feel he helped me a lot in that regard," he said in an interview with the Norwegian newspaper VG.

The winger went even further when asked about the possibility of working every day with one of the most high-profile figures in football history. "It is incredibly good. He is one of the greatest legends in football of all time. And being able to work with him is a dream. It is hard not to be fascinated when you look at everything he has achieved," he admitted.

Andreas Schjelderup - advised to leave Benfica - also spoke about the difficulties he felt in his early days wearing the Eagles shirt. The player admitted that the process of adapting to Benfica was not immediate and that he needed time to find his place within the team. "Maybe I needed some time to adapt. But then it became a day-to-day matter. I managed to express myself more in training and gain more self-confidence. It was actually quite a long process, but in the end everything worked out," he revealed.

The Norwegian also recalled the less positive moments, when his playing time fell short of expectations. "The fact that you have worked hard for a long time and maybe have not had as much playing time as you would have liked was frustrating. Now, being able to play week after week has been very good," he concluded.

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