When Udinese travels to the 'Eternal City' on Sunday to do battle with AS Roma, they will be handicapped by the absence of 23-year-old central defender Thomas Kristensen.
It's a big blow for German coach Kosta Runjaic, who has seen the former Danish Under-21 international evolve into a pivotal figure at the back, after a promising start to the season for 'Le Zebrette'.
Kristensen has been frustrated by a back-thigh injury since the start of October, which has halted his progress in a season where he wishes to sustain his name as one of the most promising young defenders in the Serie A.
In this exclusive interview with Flashscore, Kristensen talks about the challenges of having to settle into another culture in the midst of a past chaotic season with a coach dismissal, injury scares, locker room issues, and a dramatic battle to stay clear of relegation.
Kristensen also offers an interesting insight into his collaboration with former Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro, his most memorable moments during his Udinese spell, and who has been the toughest striker to confront in the Serie A.
Last but not least, Kristensen speaks about his devotion to his childhood club, AGF, and their current success, as well as where he dreams of continuing his career when his Udinese contract comes to an end.
Settling in Italy with a new club and having to adjust to a new language, new teammates, and another culture must be quite a load for a 21-year-old. What has been the biggest challenge in that process?
"It was a huge culture shock for me coming down here. I am extremely happy that I accepted the offer from Udinese, but you never really know what conditions you will face until you arrive at a new club. But I left as a 21-year-old for a country where they don’t speak English very well, and I had to adapt to speaking Italian very fast.
"Not so much at the training ground, where we have a lot of different nationalities and speak English, but to integrate myself into society, I needed to learn the local language. It was a huge transition from living with the lads in Aarhus to coming down here alone, far away from friends and family.
"But I feel I have undergone a huge development as a person and footballer, and today I am a totally different version of myself than when I arrived two years ago."
You had Fabio Cannavaro as your coach last season, perhaps one of the best Italian defenders ever. What role did he have in your development as a footballer, and were there any special things that you learned from him?
"Suddenly, to stand in front of Cannavaro was a wild experience. I was very young, untried, and still needed to learn a lot as a central defender, and he was a former Ballon d’Or winner.
"Of course, I knew his reputation as an aggressive and cool defender in terms of ball distribution. He was let go, but totally saved us in an otherwise troubled season and taught us so much about defensive organisation, small details that you don’t normally think about.
"He is a man who really knows his sh*t, and it was an amazing experience for me to enjoy having him as a coach during that period."
You arrived in the summer of 2023, were in and out of the team, also had an injury period, and were involved in a huge battle to avoid relegation. It must have been a very turbulent first season for you?
"Yeah, it was a chaotic season to start with. In terms of playing time and chances to shine, I got what I could have expected during my first season here. It was an enormous step up from the Danish Superliga, and even though I had shown potential, it's still a matter of seizing the moment and gaining a regular place in the starting lineup.
"I arrived and felt that I established myself quickly despite suffering some small injuries, so in terms of my own performance, I thought it was it was a successful season. But as a team, we didn’t do well, and the atmosphere in the locker room wasn’t the best. It was a natural consequence of us struggling. When you don’t win matches, it creates tension among the players.
"But of course, it gives you an enormous amount of learning experience when you hang by a thread and are one step away from disaster, with the pressure we were under to perform at the end of the season."
Obviously, when you play in the Serie A, you will face some very skilled strikers. Who is the toughest one you have faced?
"Yeah, I have certainly come up against some big names. For a period, I played as a right back, which was a more difficult position for me because I was faced with very fast players on the wing. But it was great for my development in the process, where I now feel I have settled into my favourite position as a central defender.
"The most fearsome number nines have definitely been Duvan Zapata, Marcus Thuram, and Romelo Lukaku, and on the wings, I would say Kenan Yildiz and David Neres."
Which experiences in Serie A stand out most clearly in your memory after two years in the league?
"Obviously, my debut for Udinese in Serie A against Fiorentina was a highlight for me, as well as the day when we secured our stay in Serie A. It was a crazy day at the Frosinone stadium. When we arrived, the atmosphere was electric, the fans were buzzing with excitement, dreaming of staying in Serie A. But just 90 minutes later, everything had turned upside down. In the end, it was us who managed to save ourselves, while Frosinone went down. The home crowd left in complete silence, with tears everywhere.
"Of course, I also look back on my first goal for the club (against Cagliari last season) and the away wins we have enjoyed against Juventus and Inter."
You have had a bright start to the season this year. What seems to be working better for the team this season?
"We are headed in a very good direction, and there is a harmony in the squad now that wasn’t there in my first season here at the club.
"It’s a hungry squad desperate to improve, and you can really feel the desire to go the extra mile for the team within the squad. If we live up to our standards and deliver on the day, we can beat any team in the Serie A. It has been a satisfactory start, but we want more."
It's going really well for AGF in the Danish Superliga. What do you think about it? Do you still follow them, and how do you compare the current team to the team you played for?
"I follow AGF all the time, and I speak almost daily with some of my former teammates there, especially Tobias Bech. My family is from Aarhus, I grew up there, and we are all AGF fans. It's of course amazing to see how well they are doing in the league and you start dreaming about if they could end up winning the Danish title.
"I think it had a great effect that they went through a period with Uwe (Rosler), a coach with a very strict regime and very clear and tough ideas for what players should deliver on the pitch, and if you didn’t deliver, you were in trouble. And now it seems to be more relaxed conditions under Jacob Poulsen.
"Both coaches have been essential for AGF, and I think the balance between them is the main reason why things are currently working so well for them."
You were linked with Premier League clubs (Tottenham, Bournemouth, and Wolverhampton) as well as Serie A contenders (Como, Juventus, and AC Milan) in January and during the summer. Where would you like to continue your career when your spell at Udinese comes to an end?
"The Premier League is the best league in the world and it would be a dream for me to play in England. Having said that, I'm happy in Udinese, I'm focused here now."