da bet esporte： In an exclusive interview with GOAL, the 22-year-old Dane discusses his rapid rise to prominence at Genoa

da dobrowin： For a footballer, Morten Frendrup is as shy and humble as they come. The Dane rarely does interviews. On one of the few occasions he's spoken to the press since joining Genoa, it was only because he felt compelled to publicly apologise to the fans for a rare mistake.

He is very much one of those players that likes to let his feet do the talking – which is no bad thing of course, especially when you're as talented as Frendrup. Indeed, this very reserved character is making an awful lot of noise at Genoa right now, with the defensive midfielder's impressive performances in Serie A having attracted scouts from 11 different Premier League clubs for a game against Roma back in September.

One of those in attendance at the Luigi Ferraris even told Genoa CEO Andres Blazquez afterwards that Frendrup could slot into any side in England's top flight.

Getty Anfield next for the Gerrard fan?

He certainly looks ideal for Liverpool, whose search for a specialist No.6 has been well-documented, and it's now common knowledge that the Reds are monitoring the 22-year-old.

Of course, Frendrup being Frendrup, he doesn't want to be drawn on the talk of a transfer to Anfield. In fact, he won't even confirm or deny whether he's a Liverpool fan (despite the fact that Steven Gerrard is his childhood idol) – and side-steps the claim that his game appears tailor-made for English football by telling GOAL: "I think my style of play could be useful in any league."

He's not wrong there. Frendrup is a destructive force of nature, the kind that any coach would love in his side. He has won more tackles (40) than any other player in Serie A this season, while he's the top-ranked midfielder for duels won (133), fifth for recoveries (130) and joint-sixth for interceptions (27).

"I guess I'm good at pressing people and retrieving the ball," Frendrup humbly says when asked about his strengths, before quickly adding, "but I want to develop my game to become more decisive offensively."

AdvertisementGetty 'A ball-winner and a game-changer'

There's definitely some room for improvement in certain areas.

His pass accuracy (79 percent) is not particularly impressive, although one should account for the fact that he's playing for a bottom-half Serie A side. He often has very few appealing options in front of him – and yet he has still managed to rack up four league assists from his deep-lying position.

As a result, Genoa coach Alberto Gilardino believes that a player who first lined up for the club at right-back could also excel further forward.

"Morten is a player who can play anywhere," the former Italy striker said earlier this season. "He has dynamism, he has great speed in his first few steps, he is a ball-winner and a game-changer. He's just a very reliable player."

Getty'One step back to move two steps forward'

He's also still developing – and at a rapid rate, having come on leaps and bounds since moving to Genoa in January 2022. The €3.5 million (£3m/$3.8m) signing from Brondby was just 20 years old at the time – and joining a relegation-threatened club – yet he felt it was an offer too good to turn down.

"Obviously I had some doubts about leaving my home," Frendrup says, "and it was hard to move because I love Denmark and I loved being at Brondby. But when I heard about the interest from Genoa I was very excited. It's a big club in one of the top five leagues in the world."

Of course, Genoa didn't stay in Serie A for long, with the Ligurians relegated six months after Frendrup's arrival. It also took him some time to settle.

"Italy has a very different culture to Denmark," he explains, "and Danish football is also very different. But I never thought I had made a mistake. I already knew before coming to Genoa that the team was in the relegation zone, so I knew going down was a possibility.

"But sometimes it's good to take one step back to move two steps forward."

He's certainly done that.

Getty 'I really feel the trust from everyone'

After initially serving as a utility man – Genoa CEO Andres Blazquez has joked in the past that Frendrup is so multi-talented that he could even do a decent job in goal – the Tuse native became a mainstay in midfield during his first full season, initially under Alexander Blessin and then Gilardino, who took over halfway through the campaign and led the club to promotion via a second-placed finish in Serie B.

"Blessin helped me a lot," Frendrup says, "but coach Gilardino has been very important for me. I have a very good relationship with him and it's so helpful to have someone like him that believes so much in you.

"Of course, you also have to work hard and prove yourself on the pitch, but having people that believe in you is key and, here in Genoa, I really feel the trust from everyone."

Which is why he now looks right at home, on and off the field. The fact that his new favourite dish is trofie al pesto – a Genovese classic – says it all!

But he's also found a good friend in the dressing room in Icelandic Albert Gudmundsson, and learned an awful lot from veteran midfielders Kevin Strootman and Milan Badelj.