PRE-MATCH INTERVIEW: ‘I have made a connection with my team-mates already and we have a lot of quality’ - Salvesen

Lars-Jorgen Salvesen says it was a ‘special moment’ to get his first goal for Derby County last weekend - but admits the Rams need to get points on the board ahead of Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship clash with Sheffield United (3pm kick-off).

The striker netted his first goal for the club in last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Cardiff City.He joined up with the squad on Wednesday 15th January from Viking FK in Norway and also made a positive substitute appearance against Sunderland just under a week later.

Salvesen spoke to RamsTV to discuss settling into life in English football and preview this weekend’s clash with the Blades at Pride Park Stadium.

On scoring his first goal for the club at Cardiff…

It was special to get my first goal, but it would have meant more if we got something out of the game; a point or a win. You live off the goals for a striker, and it was good to get a decent start. But, of course, there was another chance afterwards from a corner that I still think about. That's the life of a striker. You appreciate the ones you put in the net as well, but the ones you miss are hard to forget sometimes.

On having opportunities since joining the club...

The first thing as a striker is to get the chances and then it’s about putting them into the net. It feels like I have a good connection with my team-mates already and they are looking for me and playing me in my best spots and situations. That's the way I can help the team.

On settling into Championship competition after completing the 2024 season in Norway…

It was pretty intense here in the first couple of days. I was training a lot doing extra work, running-wise and fitness-wise. My first appearance against Sunderland was a bit longer than expected coming off the bench. I also didn't expect to play 90 minutes in the last game at Cardiff, but the body felt good. Since I'd known about the possibility of going to the Derby, I had been training extra. So, since Christmas, I've been training really, really hard to be ready for this. Now it's nice to see that the work pays off and I'm dreaming of my first goal at Pride Park.

On the group being ready to fight to climb the table…

It's a good group. I think we had a strong performance against Cardiff but were a bit unlucky with the result. Of course, you get affected when you lose six games in a row, and that's natural as a football player and as a person. I’ve seen on the training ground and in the last game that we have a lot of quality here. It's just about changing things in our direction. You see teams around us in good form and I think we can do the same, in fact I know we can do the same. It's just believing in it and giving it our all. At home, at Pride Park, we should be the favourite against anyone.