After spending three years at Genk, Sander Berge left Belgium when Sheffield United signed him in January.
Prior to arriving in England, the midfielder had spells at Genk and Norwegian clubs.
He needed to step up in order to adapt to the demands of the Premier League after being made aware of the intensity of the English league on his debut against Crystal Palace.
“The first match was very tough. I felt like I was exhausted after 20 minutes,” Berge told TV2.
“I was thrown into a new role, a completely different punch and a completely different intensity. So it took some time, but I realised that too. I got a lot of confidence after everything. I got experience, tried and failed.”
The 22-year-old has been a regular figure in Chris Wilder’s starting lineup in the league since arriving at Bramall Lane at the start of this year.
Sheffield United finished ninth in the league last season, five points behind fifth place Tottenham Hotspur.
Things haven’t gone as per their plans this season, and the Norway international discussed the club’s poor start to this term.
“There are fine margins. It’s easy to say in retrospect, but I feel we have delivered enough to take between six and ten points, but now we stand with one. When it is as it is, we just have to go within ourselves,” he said.
“It is not the case that we are miles away. All that is needed is to get better and believe more in ourselves. I feel that there can quickly be a ketchup effect when we first win.”
Berge arrived at Sheffield United with the ambition of taking the club forward, but his immediate focus is on helping the Blades get out of the relegation zone.
“I came here to take the club one step further and contribute in the way I can. I have great faith that we will turn this around,” the player stressed.
“First I would like to win a trophy with Sheffield, a cup or something. But now the focus is on getting up from the bottom. I strongly believe in us [the team]…”
