Oliver Abildgaard was under no illusions about the fact that forcing his way into the Hellas Verona XI would be easier said than done, even with the Gialloblu mired in the Serie A drop zone and staring down the barrel of relegation.
“Of course, we’re a large group. Clearly, eleven players play. But the matches are very intense and everyone will be needed,” Abildgaard said shortly after his arrival, via Tuttomercatoweb.
“We will have to be ready to meet the coach’s demands on every occasion.”
But, after falling out of favour during a short-lived spell at Celtic during the first half of the season, it’s safe to assume Abildgaard would have been hoping to make a more immediate impact in his new home as the Danish powerhouse looks to make up for lost time.
Celtic misfit Oliver Abildgaard barely playing in Serie A
Abildgaard is still awaiting his first start in Hellas colours. Every one of his four Serie A appearances have come from the substitute’s bench, tallying just 74 minutes of action. What’s more, Abildgaard has now been left on the sidelines for three of the last four league matches.
The highly-rated Adrien Tameze and the 36-year-old former Portugal international Miguel Veloso are, as things stand, still Hellas Verona’s first-choice central midfield partnership.
Head coach Marco Zaffaroni, at least, issued a promising response when asked about whether Abildgaard – who was reportedly on the radar of Nottingham Forest and Fulham before joining Celtic on loan from Rubin Kazan in September – would find minutes easier to come by between now and the end of the season.
“There are many options from this point of view,” Zaffaroni tells Tuttomercatoweb. “I’m trying to rotate all the pieces. There’s a big expenditure of energy. Therefore, it is essential that everyone is available, both from the start and during the game.
“Having spare parts that enter with the right desire becomes fundamental.”
Abildgaard, then, should have opportunities to prove his worth once Serie A returns following the March international break. But, after failing to start a single league game during five months at Celtic, one suspects Abildgaard will not be too thrilled to find himself playing a back seat role once again.
Abildgaard has not started a league game all season
AaB had expressed an interest in bringing their former player back to familiar surroundings in January. Abildgaard started his career in Aalborg. He played nearly 100 games for the Danish outfit between 2015 and 2020.
“We often talk to Oliver. We pretty much do that with all former AaB players,” said sporting director Thomas Baelum.
Baelum, however, indicated that Abildgaard was simply too expensive for a club of their means.
“He is a level above us,” the director addded. “And I can’t blame him for investigating what possibilities are on the shelf.
“If the opportunity arises, we are of course completely ready to talk to him. He is a fantastic player and a fantastic person. But I think he is in a different place in his career right now.”
If Abildgaard had his time again, however, with opportunities as sparse at Hellas as they were at Celtic, maybe he’d have been willing to take a step backwards in order to move forwards again.
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