Freddy Adu loving his Benfica experience

“I’ll crack the staring XI sooner rather than later”

Since his much publicised arrival at Benfica, American teenager Freddy Adu is taking his experience at one of Portugal’s and Europe’s biggest clubs in his stride.

The US star has not featured in as many games as he would have liked, but has made the most of his playing time, already scoring five goals – a tally only surpassed in the Benfica squad by first-choice strikers Oscar Cardozo and Nuno Gomes.

In an interview given to the New York Times, Adu admitted that the football is very different to what he was used to at Real Salt Lake and DC United in the MLS back home.

“The first thing about being in Europe is that you will not survive in a place like this unless you pay attention to every single detail and work hard every day,” stated the 18-year-old.

Competition for places

“It’s constant competition! It is a very competitive environment and everyone is a very good player. No one has their place guaranteed. You must work hard every day and that is what makes you a better player.

“It doesn’t matter whether I play 2, 5 or 90 minutes. I am still going to go out there with the same mentality. Hopefully, I’ll crack the starting XI sooner rather than later, but for now, I am happy with my development.

“At first I was not sure about it, but I realised that I have to grow up sometime. I made the jump to Europe which was something that I wanted to do, and now I couldn’t be happier.”

American team ambition

Adu hopes the wealth of experience he is gaining will earn him a spot in the US national team as the American squad embarks on their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Since joining the Portuguese outfit, Adu has racked up more international caps than when he was playing in the MLS, something that he would like to see continue.

“I would be deeply disappointed if I do not make the team. I really, really would like to achieve that goal and will do whatever it takes.”

Freddy Adu PortuGOAL profile