Egeli coming to terms with 'physical' Championship
Sindre Walle Egeli's elder brother Vetle is a footballer back in Norway
- Published
Ipswich Town forward Sindre Walle Egeli admits it has taken him time to adjust to the demands of English football.
The 19-year-old Norway international joined Town in the summer for a Championship record fee of £17.5m.
He has made eight league appearances so far under head coach Kieran McKenna, six of them starts.
"It was a big step in all regards. It's every boy's dream to play in England, if it's the Championship or the Premier League, both are massive in Norway," Egeli told BBC Radio Suffolk.
"It is a tough league, one of the toughest in the world I would say. It's very intense, physical, a big difference from what I'm used to. It's a lot more direct, with more focus on running and winning a duel.
"I feel like I've grown in every match and I'm very pleased with the game time."
Egeli provided the cross for George Hirst to head the opening goal in last weekend's 4-1 win at Queens Park Rangers.
He said: "It was my first goal contribution, so it was massive for me - a nice way to start the game. I built some confidence in that game.
"For now, I am most comfortable in the right-wing position, but long-term I think I'm probably going to end up as a 10."
He began his career with Sandefjord before moving to Denmark when he was 16 to join FC Nordsjaelland, where he scored 11 goals in 40 games.
Egeli has played for Norway at youth levels from under-15s upwards and won his first senior cap as a late substitute against Kazakhstan last year.
He hopes that continuing to impress for Ipswich will help him achieve another boyhood dream of playing at the World Cup in the United States.
"That's my main goal - I said it probably 10 years ago, World Cup in 2026, I want to be there. I think I'm close to it but I need to push and do even more than I am doing now."
He added: "Hopefully I can make some more appearances for the first team, for now I am with the 21s, but I know if I keep playing good minutes (for Ipswich) I am right up there."
