On Sunday, Leeds United loanee Rasmus Kristensen became the talk of the town in Rome with his performance for AS Roma against Sassuolo.
The right-back picked up a goal and an assist in the 2-1 win, and earned him plaudits all over the country, as they were impressed with him finally turning things around.
Corriere dello Sport continue this trend on Tuesday, dedicating an entire article to ‘the anti-star Viking’, as they call the Leeds man.
As pointed out above, they explain that a player’s season can ‘change in the blink of an eye’, and for Kristensen, it happened in 15 minutes.
While he impressed on the pitch, the player contracted to Leeds has also surprised them off it, describing him as a ‘very polite boy’ who ‘lives a very reserved life’ in Italy’s capital.
Rarely seen on the streets except for a few outings with the likes of Lazio’s Gustav Isaksen, the defender is entirely focused on succeeding with the Serie A side.
They recall that when he was left out of the Europa League squad list, he didn’t pick up his phone and vent to his agent, but instead ‘stuck himself even further in to try to have an opportunity in the league’.
José Mourinho, down his end, really likes the Leeds loanee because ‘he speaks little and works a lot’, earning his trust in the process.
Currently learning Italian and studying tactical work, he also has a presence in the dressing room that his teammates like, described as a ‘team player’.
That’s why, when he produced a great performance against Sassuolo, the team were not only happy about the result, but also for Kristensen himself, who might ‘still have a lot of work to do’, but he is ‘tackling it with the right attitude’.
