Former Sampdoria coach Claudio Ranieri was sure Mikkel Damsgaard would score that free-kick against England and reveals why he sometimes got angry with the Denmark starlet.
Damsgaard, 21, impressed with Denmark at UEFA Euro 2020, scoring two goals in five appearances.
Claudio Ranieri knows the midfield starlet really well, having coached him at Sampdoria in 2020-21.
“He is a complete midfielder and he has improved in terms of personality and self-esteem and for the way he dictates the tempo,” the former Leicester City boss told Il Secolo XIX.
“When I saw he was taking that free-kick, I thought: ‘If it goes over the wall, he will score.’ He often practised free-kicks in training at Sampdoria and he was pretty good too,” the 69-year-old continued.
“However, I got angry with him a couple of times because, during games, he would always let his teammates take them.”
Ranieri left Sampdoria at the end of his contract in June 2021 and the Blucerchiati have appointed Roberto D’Aversa as their new coach.
Damsgaard joined the Blucerchiati in a €6.5m deal from Nordsjaelland in the summer of 2020. Following his performances at UEFA Euro 2020, Sampdoria now value him at €40m.
#Sampdoria, #Ranieri svela un retroscena sulle punizioni di #Damsgaard #samp #euro2020 https://t.co/X4AXitH0mP
— @ClubDoria46 (@clubdoria46) July 15, 2021
Damsgaard scored two goals and delivered four assists in 37 appearances with the Serie A side in his first season in Italy and has four goals in eight appearances with Denmark national team.
According to multiple reports on Italy, both Tottenham and Barcelona have set their sights on the 21-year-old, but Sampdoria want to keep hold of him for one more season.