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Knudsen Hoping Town Form Will Lead to More Caps - Ipswich Town News

Town new boy Jonas Knudsen is in no doubt that he made the right choice — not only to move to England but to Ipswich, where he has quickly made himself at home.

Knudsen, 22, is convinced the switch will be beneficial for both parties as well as helping him to progress at senior international after winning two full caps to add to his many U21 honours.

He said: "We will have to wait and see but I think that if I am playing well for Ipswich it can only help me play more games for Denmark.

"I have played twice for the national team and I want as many caps as possible so my club form will be very important. They will be picking a squad next week so we will see.

"My first priority is Ipswich but like all players I know that if I do well at club level it is going to improve my chances of playing international football for my country.

"If I perform here I expect the Danish manager [Morten Olsen] to put me in his squad. He knows me and he knows what I can do and what I can give his team. If I am playing well in a higher standard of football it can only improve my chances.”

Knudsen may have realised a lifetime ambition by securing a move to England but he sees his transfer as only the beginning of what he hopes will prove a successful adventure — including a crack at the Premier League.

He is only too aware of how predecessors in the left-back role, Aaron Cresswell and Tyrone Mings, both secured big-money moves to the top flight with West Ham and Bournemouth respectively — and he would like nothing more than to follow in their footsteps.

He added: "It was a big reason to come to Ipswich because I knew about the players who left to join Premier League clubs. I thought to myself ‘Maybe I can do the same as them’.

"It is obvious that if you do well in the Championship you have a chance to go into the Premier League but I am hoping I can go there with Ipswich next season. They may be big shoes to fill here but I trust myself and I believe in my ability to get there.

"My life has changed a lot recently. I came from Esbjerg, where I had been for nearly all of my life, but what has happened to me is really amazing.

"Just a few weeks ago I played for Esbjerg and now I have already played three games in the Championship for Ipswich. We have seven points and we are on top of the league so it is fantastic.

"I may have been a bit nervous but I think you have to be a little bit nervous going into games, just so long as you are ready from the start. Back home I saw a lot of English football on television and it was always something I hoped I would be given the chance to do.

"I talked about it a lot with my dad, having a career in England, and he always encouraged me. Now I am here the dream has come true but I also want to be successful so I am prepared to work as hard as I can to try to make it happen.”

Did he have a favourite English team to follow as he was growing? He said: "No, not really, because my team is Barcelona. But I have also followed West Ham a lot because I know Winston Reid, their defender, very well.”

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