“I always knew he'd be extraordinary”, says ex-teammate on Deniz Gul | OneFootball

Markus Karlsson followed Deniz Gul at Hammarby in 2023 and 2024, and was also his teammate in Sweden’s U19s. Today, he watches the striker with pride, because of the leap he made to Portugal and the persistence with which he has been seeking his opportunity. The Turkish international has not had an easy task establishing himself at the Dragão, after a turbulent first season, in which little went right for FC Porto, and a current campaign in which he took time to find the right rhythm, also due to the increase in responsibility caused by the injuries to Luuk de Jong and to

Karlsson, still at Hammarby, believes the best is yet to come and that his qualities are only now being refined. “In Sweden he always showed us his qualities and especially his power. He can be very quick with the ball and he can shoot well from any area. In the air, that is one of his strengths. I have high expectations for what he will do in Portugal, because I always knew he would be an extraordinary player,” Karlsson tells newspaper O JOGO in an interview, trying to decode Deniz Gul, who is in his second season at FC Porto and is close to being rewarded with the national title. “I can already see that he has taken big steps since he arrived, and it is clear that he is still hungry for more...,” argues the Hammarby midfielder, believing that the demands that arose ended up strengthening Gul’s mindset.

“We can keep expecting him to grow and become more and more important. He is taking on greater responsibility within the team and that will do him good. We are going to see a more decisive Gul at FC Porto,” predicts his friend Karlsson, assuring that the lack of goals does not affect him significantly. At the Dragão, with 41 games this season and the World Cup on the horizon, Gul has shown the ability to overcome emotional difficulties. “He is prepared for difficulties, for less positive moments, and he will know how to deal with all of that in the best possible way. Growing and further convincing those who backed him,” he concluded.

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