Venancio moved to Sheffield Wednesday on loan last summer.
Frederico Venancio has told the Sheffield Star he wants to stay at Sheffield Wednesday beyond the end of this season.
It took more than four months for Venancio to make his debut for the Owls, after moving to Hillsborough in August on loan from Vitoria Setubal.
But after an unconvincing start to his Wednesday career, the Portuguese defender is impressing under new manager Jos Luhukay – keeping clean sheets in all three of his outings so far.
The Owls have an agreement in place to sign Venancio on a full-time deal in the summer – should they wish to do so – and the 24-year-old has expressed a desire to see that happen.
“I would love it to become a permanent move come the end of the season,” he said. “I will do my best to make that happen but it is not in my hands. I can control what I do on the pitch but after that it is down to the chairman of the club. My goal is to stay and be here in England a lot of years.
Venancio added: “It was hard at the beginning but I understood it (not playing) because there are a lot of talented players here. I knew it was going to be a difficult challenge because all the players in this team have talent and quality. I just needed to carry on working hard and wait for my opportunity. My opportunity has now come and I’m trying to impress the new coach and make him feel that he can trust me.”
Venancio – who signed a three-year deal with Setubal in case his move to Wednesday doesn’t work out – had never before played for a club other than that of his hometown.
“It is a really hard challenge for me,” he said. “I’m playing in a different league against different players. I’m still learning about the different culture but I’m trying my best to learn every day from all of the lads and I’m enjoying it.
“It was my dream to play in England and I just want to help the team and the club. As a player, you don’t want to be in the stand; you want to be on the pitch helping your team mates and I’m doing that now, and I’m happy about that.”
Wednesday have been without senior centre-backs Tom Lees and Joost van Aken in each of Luhukay’s three games in charge.
Should Sheffield Wednesday take up their option to sign Venancio on a permanent basis?
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