Keep an eye on: Sune Kiilerich

               Age: 21 (18-12-1990)
          Position: Right Fullback
              Club: Silkeborg IF,
                    Danish Superliga
             Debut: 31-07-11 
                    against SønderjyskE
International caps: Denmark U19: 1 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s)
                    Denmark U18: 2 match(es)
                                 0 goal(s) 
             Value: £100.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk)


He describes himself as a “tall player, who is great in the air”, but also as a “strong technical player” due to his past as an attacker. This week’s profile is Sune Kiilerich.

Kiilerich started playing football aged five and spent most of his youth in Ikast FS, before joining the FC Midtjylland Academy aged fourteen, in 2004. Here he quickly became an essential part of the youth department, with whom he played against clubs as Monaco and Chelsea.
 
In 2007, the defenders hard work for the academy resulted in a contract with FCM. 2009, turned out to be a fantastic year for the talented Dane, as he was part of the team winning the Danish U19 Championship as well as selected for the Danish U19 squad playing in the NI Milk Cup. After some great performances for FC Midtjylland in the Italian cup Viareggio Cup, Parma was reported interested in the player. However, it was Sampdoria who invited him on a trial, before buying him in 2010. Sune Kiilerich described his transfer as a “dream coming through” but was fast aware of the difference between the two cultures:
 
“In Denmark you are used to be in safe surroundings and you can always talk with the Director or the coach. You couldn’t do the same down there [Italy]. In Sampdoria, they had one hired as a connection link between the players and the coach.”

Kiilerich started as planned on the Sampdoria youth team, in the Primavera Division, where he was to play in a year before joining the first team squad. The fullback’s Italian career started with success as he managed to take over the position as right fullback, sending the captain of the team on the bench. Despite the success, the board of Sampdoria decided that Kiilerich needed to go on a loan in another club, in order to get some first team experience. However, it turned out that the defender had played his last match for the club:
 
“I just think I was unlucky. I played well for the Primavera team and my agent talked with the directors who said there were ninety-five percent chances for me to be playing in the first team squad the season after.”

Unfortunately for the defender, Sampdoria had a remarkable season, and the board was hired by Juventus:
“It was bad for me, because it was those directors who brought me to the club, and when the new ones came I was sidetracked. They wanted me to go on a loan with a Serie B club, but after talking with some team mates I refused.” 

After a month with the new directors, Sune Kiilerich and the club agreed with Viborg, to take him on a six months loan.

Kiilerich experienced some personal success with Viborg, and decided to go back to Denmark, where joined the Danish Superliga club Silkeborg IF after his contract ran out. Manager Troels Bech is happy to have brought the player to the club:
“He is gifted with an unusual physic, in the form of his size, range and speed and he have had the possibility of making some experience in a young age, through his stay in Italy.”

At the moment, the defender is not a regular part of the starting eleven and he acknowledges that “there is a hard competition about my position on the team” and that he “must keep fighting, and hope that I can play myself in to the starting eleven”.
Kiilerich is hoping one day to play in English football, and if possible for Liverpool. Troels Bech believes that player has what it takes to play in England, but stresses that the player needs to breakthrough in Silkeborg before he will start guessing on where Kiilerich will play in the future.