Morten Hjulmand: ‘I can be the link between attack and defence’ | OneFootball

Atlético de Madrid have begun their preseason, and with it have come the presentations of their first signings. The first to step into the Metropolitano auditorium was Morten Hjulmand, who was unveiled as a new Atlético de Madrid player. During Morten Hjulmand’s presentation, it was revealed that he will wear the number 23 shirt, previously worn by Nico González.

DREAM COME TRUE

“First of all, thank you very much to the president for his words. It’s a dream come true. These last two days have filled me with excitement, you can see it all over me. I’m very eager to be here, to be with my teammates, and to make everyone happy“.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS IN HIS OPENING HOURS

“As Enrique Cerezo said, Atlético are an incredible club, you can see it on the pitch, when you watch Atlético, the atmosphere in the stadium… The players show heart, fighting spirit, team spirit, and that fits me very well“.

WHAT DID YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT ATLÉTICO’S PROJECT?

“For me, it was easy to make the decision to come here. I heard that Atlético were interested in me and, because of their history, in Spain and in Europe, where they are highly respected. Also the coaches and players they have had are a great inspiration. They are like heroes who have fought on the pitch, with the passion that is shown here. And that is what made it so interesting for me. This is a dream coming true, to be part of this family“.

WHICH PLAYER DO YOU WANT TO SHARE A DRESSING ROOM WITH?

“If I could go back to when I was 15, the defending they showed, the players who were here, the former captain Gabi, now Koke… they have been a great inspiration for me, the mentality they show, the trophies they have won. That is the reason why coming here and being part of this was so interesting“.

MORTEN, BRINGING LEADERSHIP

“My goal is to show my personality, and I believe that at every club I’ve been at, I’ve been able to do that. I want to show the mentality I have from day one, so everyone can see it. I’m a demanding player, I’m here to win, not just to be here. I want to show this personality to the players and the coaches, and they will see it from the first day.”

WHY WAS IT THE RIGHT TIME TO LEAVE SPORTING?

“I think I had already achieved major goals at Sporting Portugal. The experience I had there was incredible. I said it before I left, that the three years there changed me as a person. But I also needed a new challenge, and this is the right challenge for me.”

HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SPEAK WITH SIMEONE?

“I’ve spoken with Simeone, and in the conversation we had I felt his passion and ambition. That made it even more interesting. He’s a very nice guy, and through those conversations he showed me what it means to be an Atlético de Madrid player. All of it was over the phone, so I think in person it will be much easier.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THIS SPELL AT ATLÉTICO?

“As I was saying, from day one I want to bring my mentality, which is to win everything I can. The club is respected in Spain, and there is quality in other teams as well, but I am here to win every trophy I can. It will be complicated, because we are also playing in Europe, but my goal and the team’s goal is to win trophies. Whether it happens or not, we will give everything.”

WHAT CAN YOU BRING?

“Atlético had a great season last year. I want to bring my quality in passing, positional control, helping the defensive players so they can show their qualities. My goal here is to make the other players even better offensively. The balance between the lines is my strength, as well as protecting the defensive line.”

CAN YOU BE THE PIVOT IN MIDFIELD?

“Yes, I believe I can be that player. I can provide the balance between the attacking line and the defensive line. My job is to give freedom to the players further forward so they can shine, make everything easier, dribble, score, get shots on target… and help both the attacking and defensive players by giving them calm, making it easy to play out from the back, fight, not concede, keep clean sheets… That is what I want to bring to the team.”

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