Ex-team-mate of Hjulmand blasts Sporting skipper: It was clear... | OneFootball

Zeca, who is currently part of Panathinaikos’ scouting department, played for Copenhagen between 2017 and 2023 and had the chance there to ‘see’ Morten Hjulmand ‘being born’ - whose likely replacement is already known. The 37-year-old Portuguese believes that Sporting’s ‘number 42’ is “the best in his position in Portugal”.

“He was in the club’s youth ranks and often came to train with us in the first team. You could see he was a very combative player, very strong in duels, and he always had that desire to win. He is still the same at Sporting,” he began by telling Record.

“At that time, the leadership he has now was not as visible, because he was young. Even so, he was a very vocal player, he talked on the pitch and got upset when he didn’t win. One day, I was watching the Italian league and saw Hjulmand captaining Lecce; I was very surprised by the influence he already had in the team,” said the former midfielder, regretting the fact that Sporting’s current captain did not get the chance to play for Copenhagen’s first team.

“We had a championship-winning team, made up of several experienced players who had come from good clubs, some already established, and it was very difficult for him to get minutes. He was very young, and it also worked against him that the team only played with two midfielders. He had to take a different path to reach the level he is at now, a fantastic level. I’m happy to see the career he is having,” Zeca continued, highlighting Hjulmand’s influence on the Sporting team.

“He is one of Sporting’s best players, along with Trincão, Pote and Suárez. But for me, having played in his position, he is the best defensive midfielder in the Portuguese league. He is a very important player for Sporting; with him on the pitch, they are a different team. He is the hardest player to replace in the Sporting squad,” argued the Portuguese.

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