Super Eagles star Emmanuel Dennis gets new Brøndby chance

Super Eagles and Brøndby IF forward Emmanuel Dennis has been handed another lifeline at the Danish club after the club failed to ship him out in the summer transfer window.

The 28-year-old has struggled to find stability at any club since his time with Belgian side Club Brugge. Dennis has had stints with Watford, FC Koln, Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest

Despite his talent, his temper tends to always get the best of him, causing attitude problems, a situation Brøndby were prepared to part ways with. Releasing him on a free would mean the club had to pay him the remainder of his contract that runs till June 2028.

Emmanuel Dennis: Brøndby make U-turn on Super Eagles striker

Football director Julius Ohnesorge said the club wanted the Nigerian to find a new team, while Dennis himself was also understood to be looking for a move.

“We have taken a very clear position on Dennis; we want to move him on to another club. He is aware of that, and he also wants a move,” Ohnesorge said in August.

The situation was further complicated by a serious muscle injury the former Watford forward suffered shortly after the beginning of Brøndby’s pre-season.

Dennis underwent rehabilitation away from the club, meaning he missed a significant part of the team’s preparations for the new campaign.

However, with the transfer window now closed and no move materialising, the 28-year-old has returned to Brøndby’s plans.

Head coach Thomas Nørgaard confirmed the change in Dennis’ situation after the Nigerian was handed 30 minutes in Brøndby’s 1-1 friendly draw with Swedish side IK Sirius last Friday.

The appearance was Dennis’ first involvement under Nørgaard, who replaced Steve Cooper as Brøndby’s head coach during the summer. Steve Cooper previously coached the eight-cap Super Eagles star at the City Ground.

“He has been here for some time, after completing the rehabilitation programme we had sent him away for,” Nørgaard explained after the match in quotes revealed by Bold.

“We had assessed, given the injury he had, that he needed much more one-to-one work than you can do in-house at a club.”

The Brøndby coach said the situation changed once the transfer window closed.

“I have previously said, when the transfer window was open, that there was a possibility he would move on.

“Then it closed, and now he is here, and he is back. He trains like the others and makes an effort. Today it reached a point where he could play 30 minutes.”

Dennis was not just given a token appearance. Nørgaard admitted he had to encourage the Super Eagles forward to reconnect with the team’s physical and tactical demands after spending a long time out on the sidelines.

“He has been away for quite a while, so he hasn’t reached everything the others have with our principles,” the 44-year-old said.

“He got a little extra help and love.”

What next for the Super Eagles forward?

The question now is whether Dennis can turn his Brøndby lifeline into a comeback, into the form that saw him hit the Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Siu’ celebration at the Santiago Bernabeu seven years ago.

PROMETEU TATUAR E NÃO VAI CUMPRIR? Antes do jogo, Dennis disse que faria uma tatuagem se marcasse contra o Real Madrid. O cara fez dois gols! E nossa Tati Mantovani perguntou se a promessa seria cumprida! Olha só! #CasaDaChampions https://t.co/2on9NFEuOI

— TNT Sports BR (@TNTSportsBR) October 2, 2019

Nørgaard has made it clear that Dennis is now competing on the same terms as the rest of the squad.

“If those we have are considered good enough and fit enough, sometimes we have too many, and then we have to leave some out,” he said.

“At some point, if you recommend yourself, you get into the match squad. That also applies to Dennis.”

That represents a major change from the situation only weeks ago. Now, the former Nottingham Forest and Watford attacker has an opportunity to revive his career in Denmark.

Dennis joined Brøndby in January on a contract running until the summer of 2028 after impressing during a trial. He made 11 Superliga appearances last season and scored once.

His last competitive appearance came on May 10 against AGF, meaning the Sirius friendly was an important first step after almost five months away from action.

Brøndby’s next league match is against Lyngby on October 11, and Dennis could now be in contention for his first competitive appearance under Nørgaard.