'Special man' - Freddie Ljungberg waxes lyrical over Sunderland star he has 'soft spot' for
The former Arsenal man has heaped praise on Sunderland defender Dan Ballard
Ex-Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg has piled praise on Sunderland defender Dan Ballard, labelling the towering centre-back a “special man”.
The 26-year-old played under the Swede as part of the Gunners’ academy system earlier in the career, but was forced to leave North London in a bid to carve out a pathway for himself elsewhere.
Consequently, Ballard enjoyed spells with both Millwall and Blackpool before eventually playing his way back into the Premier League with Sunderland, and the Northern Ireland international has thrived ever since he made the step up to the top flight - much to his former coach’s delight.
What did Freddie Ljungberg say about Sunderland defender Dan Ballard?
Ljungberg was in attendance at the Stadium of Light for Sunday’s Wear-Tyne Derby between Sunderland and Newcastle United, with Ballard once again catching the eye in another domineering display at the heart of defence.
And during his punditry duties for Viaplay, the 48-year-old wasted little time in lavishing praise on the defender. He said: “He [Ballard] is a special man. You know, you have a soft spot for players sometimes... Before I came in there [Arsenal] - I had him with the 21s - some of them maybe didn't rate him so highly... I was on the pitch for a bit and I was like, ‘I rate him’. He knows how to defend.
“When you spoke to him, he was like, ‘What can I do better? Can you help me with, like, sometimes I don't really know when I come up in a pocket, what I should do here or there? Could you just help me?’. Every day, he would ask me a question, wanted to get better.
“He's had injuries, he's had massive injuries, setbacks, kept on fighting, had to leave Arsenal, go to smaller clubs, prove himself there. They said here, I think, he's a legend here already, but he's been at Millwall and Blackpool, and the fans love him there too. He's one of those players you want, and you just spoke about Granit Xhaka... Him [Ballard], I want him in our dressing room every day of the week because he will do anything for you. As long as he can win a game, he will do whatever you want.”
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What did Dan Ballard say after Sunderland’s derby win over Newcastle United?
Sunday marked a much happier occasion for Ballard than his last outing in a Wear-Tyne Derby, during which he scored an own goal and conceded a penalty in a 3-0 defeat. Reflecting on the Black Cats’ 1-0 victory this time around, he said: “Words can’t describe.
“Thinking back to the last game, that one hurt. For the fans, we felt like we let them down. We were so determined this time, especially the bots that experienced that day so we’re delighted.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game but we stuck in there, we fought really hard and we thoroughly deserved the win. There wasn’t much in the game in terms of chances. The first half was great but when you go a goal ahead, it’s about managing the game and I thought we did that really well. The boys were brilliant.”
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