Jorgen Strand Larsen is hoping to mark his Molineux debut with a first goal in gold and black when Wolves host La Liga outfit Rayo Vallecano in the final friendly of pre-season this Saturday.
After just one month at the club, the Norwegian already feels at home as part of Gary O’Neil’s squad having integrated well into the first-team group during the pre-season trips to Spain and the USA.
As well as being popular among his teammates off the pitch, Strand Larsen has also been a central figure to Wolves’ attacking threat on the pitch during pre-season so far, and although he is yet to find the net in the warm up matches, the 24-year-old is excited about the prospect of opening his account in front of the Molineux crowd this weekend.
On preparing for a first game at Molineux
“It’s my second time here at Molineux, the first time was doing the interview when I signed a month ago now, and it feels like yesterday already, so it’s been quick. But I feel really welcome here, I feel good, I feel warm in the kit already and I haven’t even played here at the stadium, so I can’t wait to get out there.
“Seeing the stadium for the second time, you get the feeling of, ‘Come on, give me the ball and let’s play!’
“I’m happy that we have a game on Saturday before the season starts to get a good vibe now, that we can win, hopefully, against Rayo Vallecano, and we can have a good end of the pre-season and get a good start in the season.”
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— Wolves (@Wolves) August 5, 2024
On settling into the Wolves squad
“It's been very good. We’ve been playing well and I love it here. I love it. We’ve been training well, we’re playing well in the games, and the gaffer and the staff are doing well. Us players are working hard and I think this team are really professional, and honestly, we’re a really good team and I think we can achieve big things this year.
“We all depend on each other because we need to do our jobs, we need to do our things, and I need a goal soon, and I’m waiting for that. I’ve had a few goals taken off by offsides in the first games [against Como and Bristol City] which were not on TV, but I’m not worried about that.
“It’s pre-season and pre-season is where you are still missing it, and then you go into the season and kill it, so I’m not worried. I see a big chance to get a good opportunity to score on Saturday, and if not, there is a nice stadium on the first matchday of the Premier League.”
On searching for his first goal in Old Gold
“It would be amazing at the weekend to score here. It would be a nice start to do it here at the Molineux, but I’m not worried.
“The most important thing is that we’re playing well as a team, I’ve played some good games myself, had a few assists, getting to chances, and I think that’s really important.
“As a striker, you just need to build yourself up and you know it’s going to come. I have a lot of good teammates around me and it’s going to come, for sure. If not, it’s going to come against Arsenal in the first round.”
Never meet your heroes... unless you've just scored a hat-trick against them 😂
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 8, 2024
Watch Jorgen Strand Larsen's My Firsts with @JDFootball 👇
On his experience of playing against Rayo
“I know them and they’re a nice team to play against because they’re really good, organised defensively, which makes them a difficult team to play against.
“When I played there with Celta Vigo, I think three out of the four games against them finished zero-zero, so they have a good defence, and that’s good for us to practice, because in the first games we play against some of the best teams in the league, so it’s important for us to get that practice.
“But hopefully, at home, we can just run all over them with the good intensity we have done in the pre-season and show them who the real boss is here. Hopefully England can beat Spain on Saturday!”
