How Danish Midfield Maestro Morten Frendrup Has Helped Transform Patrick Vieira’s Genoa
Arguably one of Serie A’s most undervalued and overachieving midfielders, Danish international Morten Frendrup has taken leaps and bounds in his professional career since playing for Il Grifone. He made his senior debut for Brøndby IF in February 2018 and had integrated himself well to be a pivotal part of the team for seasons to come.
As the Danish side pushed for trophy triumphs, Frendrup only grew stronger and excelled in the minutes he played. It was the 2020-2021 season where the Dane etched himself into Brøndby’s history books, after hitting 50 caps for the club that season, he was one of the leaders to be at the forefront of their Superliga success.
Hotly tipped as one of Scandinavia’s superstar talents, ready to break onto the scene on Europe’s biggest stage, the Dane had yet to perform at his peak. It was the January transfer window and clubs around the top leagues were in search of a player that can help their fight for survival with one of those teams being then coach Davide Ballardini’s Genoa.
A Grifone side filled with well-regarded talents with the likes of Andrea Cambiaso, Riccardo Calafiori and Nicolò Rovella, coach Ballardini looked to insert Frendrup, bought for an undisclosed fee, in a mobile midfield to positively impact Genoa’s second half season.
The Dane’s ability to read the game was visible from the get-go and adapted to the styles and patterns of Italian football well, he proved himself pivotal on the defensive end, making a lot of interceptions during a game and being rapid to often track down his opponents in attack. Despite their best efforts, Genoa found themselves relegated and playing in Serie B for the first time since the 2006-2007 season.
The Danish international remained optimistic with the club’s project following the announcement of new manager Alexander Blessin who looked to use Frendrup’s versatility to his strengths. Utilised mostly as a box-to-box midfielder with his wealth of energy in defensive phases and prowess in attacking phases, Frendrup was a key piece to solving Genoa’s problems in midfield and his first goal for the club came in a 3-3 draw at home against Parma.
Out with the old and in with the new, Genoa looked to rejuvenate their style of football with the introduction of Alberto Gilardino on the bench, I Rossoblu looked set to return to the top flight in swift succession with Frendrup front and centre of it all. A season excelling under Gilardino saw Frendrup remain a big prospect for many top teams across Europe.
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This season, under Frenchman Patrick Vieira, the Dane has found himself being used as more of an anchor in the midfield, being vitally important in the defensive phases of play. The backend of the first half of the season for the midfielder was arguably one of his best periods at the club, with a man of the match performance against Davide Nicola’s Cagliari, which also saw Frendrup on the score sheet.
Known for his combative spirit, he’s been regarded as a warrior in the midfield, due to his huge reliance on being incredibly stable in the heart of the midfield. A string of matches saw Il Grifone pick up big points against the likes of Udinese, AC Milan and Empoli with the Danish international being the standout performer and another goal to add to his tally in a 1-0 win against Fabio Pecchia’s Parma saw Vieira’s side going against the season’s script.
Frendrup found himself perplexed by the results on the board, following a stagnant period in the domestic campaign for his side. Performances of late have seen Genoa progress up the standings, fighting for the mid-table positions alongside Kosta Runjaić’s Udinese and Paolo Vanoli’s Torino.
The Danish midfielder has been excelling in a side lacking in depth and might be very soon where he might step up amongst the biggest names in Europe. But whilst Genoa are all but confirmed to stay up, sitting 14 points clear of the drop with five matches remaining, they find themselves with little chance of keeping hold of Frendrup, whose contract expires in 2028.
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Last summer, Genoa lost three of their best players — Mateo Retegui, Josep Martínez and Albert Guðmundsson — to three of Italy’s biggest clubs in Atalanta, Inter and Fiorentina, respectively. All signs point to Frendrup continuing that trend this summer and departing the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris for greener pastures.
La grinta del Grifone cerca di continuare l’anima del Danese
By: Lorenzo Gagliotta / @LG24Sports
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Simone Arveda / Getty Images