Although Simonas Stankevičius is only 20 years old, he has already played eight matches for the national team and started his career as a legionnaire in England more than four years ago. The Lithuanian currently belongs to the "Leicester City" club, one of the "Premier" League leaders, and this year he hopes to finally establish himself in men's football. He agreed to talk about his aspirations, playing in England, the new national team coach, and the upcoming career changes with the most visited football news portal in the country "Eurofootball.com".
- This year you were briefly loaned to the "Oldham Athletic" team, which plays in the "League One" championship. What are your impressions from the time at this club?
- I was unexpectedly loaned to "Oldham" who plays in the "League One", which was my first serious experience in men's football. When I arrived at the club, I was warmly welcomed, the coach knew me from the U-21 matches and couldn't wait for me to start playing. I was promised a lot of playing minutes.
After just a couple of days, I made my debut coming off the bench and did well. Then I had to leave for the Lithuanian national team, and at that time, the team had a bad streak with many losing matches. When I returned from the national team, I immediately started, but we lost again, and then the coach who brought me to this club was fired. The new coach brought in his own players, valued experience, and replaced me with a much older player.
It was a great experience, I did not expect the "League One" level to be so high. It's a shame that everything turned out this way and the coach who would have allowed me to play regularly was fired.
- The transfer window opened in January. Maybe you will be loaned to another team again this month?
- My main goal is to start playing men's football. There will be changes during this transfer window, which you will see as time goes by.
- You belong to the "Leicester City" team, which this year demonstrates fantastic results in the "Premier" League. What changes did you see in the team when they were promoted from the "Championship" to the highest division, and now they have been at the top of the table for a long time?
- First of all, it is a great honor and pleasure for me to belong to such a club that is performing miracles. It's very nice to see everything up close. In my opinion, this season is just very favorable for "Leicester City". The new coach brought new opportunities and another chance for the players. The coach encouraged players like Vardy and Mahrez, seeing leadership qualities in them. Mahrez was encouraged to take on a leadership role from the very beginning, and when he gained the trust of the coaches, he used this opportunity very well.
The best teams in the "Premier" League had a very difficult start to the season, which helped the "Leicester" team gain confidence and step by step towards the top of the table. The key aspect of this team is the atmosphere inside - there are no quarrels, everyone goes together everywhere, everyone is very good friends, respects each other, and creates a great atmosphere. With this budget, the goal of "Leicester City" was to reach 40 points per season, and they have already achieved this goal.
- During this stage of your career, if you received a suitable offer, would you be tempted to return to the Lithuanian championships? Or can you already imagine yourself playing only abroad?
- I don't have any limits set, my goal now is to start playing for men.
- Recently, Edgaras Jankauskas became the coach of the Lithuanian national team. Surely, when the most decorated forward in the country's football history became the national team coach, the desire to return to the Lithuanian national team grew even stronger?
- Definitely. I am pleased that Edgaras Jankauskas was chosen as the national team coach. I think he is a great example for every player. Personally, it would be an honor for me to work with such a coach. As a forward, I would be very interested and relevant to hear his advice and opinion.
- The year 2016 has just begun - what are your goals for this year in your football career?
- I will repeat once again - one of the main goals is to establish myself in the men's team. And then, of course, goals - after all, that's a forward's bread.
Tautvydas Sakalauskas
