Mads Hermansen interview: 'It's special to follow in Kasper Schmeichel's footsteps'

With a Championship winner’s medal around his neck and a spot in the Championship team of the year, a first year in English football couldn’t have gone much better for Mads Hermansen.

Although Leicester had been tracking the 23-year-old for a while, he was regarded as the key signing of last summer when Leicester paid Brondby £5million ($6.3m) for the young Danish goalkeeper. Leicester already had three goalkeepers on their books but the manager wanted a ball-playing goalkeeper who could operate as part of the back line when in possession.

Hermansen had only made 70 senior appearances, all at Brondby. He always saw himself as an outfield player and didn’t have formal goalkeeper training. Despite that, he became an integral part of Leicester’s well-performing defense, making crucial saves and contributing with his exceptional passing ability. The goalkeeper and his teammates maintained a commitment to the manager’s style of play throughout the season, despite occasional mistakes.

Leicester got off to an incredible start in the Championship, winning 13 of their first 14 league games. However, they faced some challenges towards the end of the season. Hermansen believes that the team’s struggles served as a turning point for them, as they realized the effort required to maintain their winning streak.

Now, Hermansen is excited about playing in the Premier League and believes that Leicester’s style of play will be well-suited for the top tier. He has been inspired by his senior Denmark squad teammate, Kasper Schmeichel, and looks forward to following in his footsteps at Leicester.