HSV: will Grønbaek kick on in the run-in? | OneFootball

Albert Grønbaek celebrated his long-delayed HSV debut in the home match against Augsburg, but immediately made an impression.

His team was in a difficult situation, though. The attack-minded midfielder came on in the 67th minute following Miro Muheim’s red card, meaning that the main task for him and his teammates was actually to hold on to the draw. But HSV, despite being down to ten men, played with great determination and even came close to scoring a winner several times in the closing stages.

Grønbaek contributed one big moment, as Augsburg goalkeeper Finn Dahmen tipped his fierce first-time strike from around 30 meters onto the outside of the post with his fingertips. “That would obviously have been incredible. I struck the ball really well,” said the Dane after the match (via Mopo). He was happy with his debut overall anyway: “It was incredible. The fans gave us a lot of energy, especially when we needed it most. And then I’m proud, also proud of the team, of how we handled the situation.”

Photo: Getty Images

Grønbaek playing for his HSV future

Originally, Grønbaek was supposed to play a much bigger role in the second half of the season. But after arriving, he initially suffered from a lack of match fitness due to his limited playing time during his previous loan spell in Genoa, before also picking up an unpleasant fascia injury in his thigh. As a result, HSV and the right-footer had to wait around two months for his debut.

The right-footer’s performance was promising not only because of the narrowly missed winner. Grønbaek immediately combined very well with Fábio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga, the two best footballers in Hamburg’s squad. “It was definitely a very successful performance from Albert,” coach Merlin Polzin also noted, while demanding that the winter signing continue to make his case in training.

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Grønbaek will try to meet that demand: “For me, it’s simply important to show him that I’m ready, and then hopefully he’ll play me.” The coming weeks will decide his sporting future. HSV do have an option to buy him. Five million euros would go to Stade Rennes, where the eight-time Danish international no longer plays a role.

For those in charge to invest that comparatively high sum, more convincing performances will be needed. Even so, Grønbaek remains calm and wants to rediscover his old strength step by step: “One thing at a time. I came on and played 20 minutes. That was good, a nice feeling, because I hadn’t played football since December. That’s a long time.” The Augsburg match could prove to be a turning point for him in the long run.

Photo: Getty Images

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