Knudsen: It Would Mean Everything to Me to Get to a World Cup Thursday, 5th Apr 2018 17:17 Town defender Jonas Knudsen knows that finishing the domestic season on a high note will only boost his chances of being included in the Denmark squad for this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia. Knudsen, 25, won his third senior cap when he played the full 90 minutes of an international friendly against Chile, which was played in Aalborg last week and ended goalless, and is keen to retain his place. His previous two caps, both from the bench, were won in 2014, before his move from Esbjerg to Ipswich the following year, and he has set his heart on being in the squad as the Danes take on Peru, Australia and France in the group stages. Knudsen said: “It was fantastic to get back into the squad again and the manager told me I trained well. “It is not easy to get into the Danish team because they have done well to qualify for the World Cup finals in Russia, so to get 90 minutes against Chile was terrific for me. “I am hopeful of going to Russia and I have a chance but there is still a lot of work to do. First and foremost I have to do well for Ipswich in the six remaining games. “The manager will be coming over to Ipswich to watch me and have a chat, so I have to crack on and do my stuff. If I don’t do enough to impress him there will be another player waiting to take the chance, just as I have done to the other guy who was playing in the game before Chile. “It was my first game in four years and the manager picked a strong team. There is a lot of competition for places and injuries meant the manager brought a few new faces into the squad. “There has been speculation in the press that there is a vacancy for a left-back but you never know what the manager is thinking. I got my chance and played a full game against Chile, and I don’t think you get 90 minutes in international football if you’re not doing alright. “I have been in the last two squads — I was in the one for the World Cup play-off game against Ireland as well — but this was the first time I had played since coming to Ipswich. “I was in a squad during my first season here but didn’t play. I was also selected to go to Japan at the end of my first season with Ipswich but I had some knee trouble and couldn’t go. “It was my first game since Ã…ge Hareide became the manager. He is Norwegian and played in England. One of his clubs was Norwich and we have some conversations about that. He also told me he played against the gaffer, Mick McCarthy. “The manager will name the squad around May 7th. He could name a bigger squad and then reduce it to 23 but I don’t think it suits him to do that. We are playing friendlies in Sweden and at home against Mexico, so I just hope I will be included. “It would mean everything to me to get to a World Cup. When you are a little kid it is something you dream about, playing for your national team in the World Cup. “There is nothing better than that. I have my fingers crossed but I have to make sure I do well for Ipswich. “We only have a couple of months to go before the event and I have not only gained a place in the squad but also started and played 90 minutes. I had an okay game against Chile and they said they were pleased with me. “I need to stay in the Ipswich team and keep playing. I want to play in every game. It has been a long season but all I want to do is play. “I have a chance to go to the World Cup and that doesn’t happen very often. It will only happen if I train well and play well for Ipswich.” Knudsen’s versatility — he has played as a central defender, left-back and wing-back for Town — could help his cause and he added: “I am a bit more flexible than other players because I can play in three different positions. We play with a back four at the moment but the manager played with five when he first came in. “I think we have a good squad and a lot of very good players, and I think we have a good chance of at least going through to the second phase. Also, we have a lot of good young players and I believe the future is bright for the Danish team. “Peru and Australia are our first two games in Russia and if we want to get through in this group we are going to have to do well against those two. We have France in our third game and that will be the hardest one. I really believe we can do it.” Meanwhile, Knudsen had a close-up view of England’s group opponents, Panama, when the Danes managed a 1-0 win against the Central Americans, who will be appearing in their first World Cup, in Brøndby recently. Knudsen was not involved in that one and added: “They’re not a bad side and they surprised me at how comfortable they were on the ball. They play what I would call a South American type of football but England should be able to beat them. “Our game against them was played on a bad pitch and it suited them more than us. They have some quality but with the quality England have they should beat them.”
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