Jakob Busk has been something of an instant hit at Union Berlin. Signed from FC Copenhagen in January, the Danish U21 goalkeeper slotted straight into the first team and his performances have warranted that place between the sticks. Reluctant to give himself too much credit for his assured start, Busk says he’s satisfied with his performances. It’s clear that he’s significantly happier to be settled at club level.

On the move for the last few seasons with loan spells at Danish side AC Horsens and Norwegian outfit Sandefjord respectively, Busk first joined Copenhagen a decade ago. “I was 12 years old. I played for a local club in my city which is basically five minutes from Copenhagen’s training ground,” he told Bleedin Deadly. “I moved for several reasons and then I joined the academy of Copenhagen. I had been there for many years, moved into the first squad, made my debut, got some games. But for me as a young player I also had the national team. I had to protect my place there so I had to play more games then I was at Copenhagen so I went on loan twice. After the second loan I still had two years left on my contract but I didn’t want to go on loan anymore because it’s so different to be on loan.

“To actually be on a permanent deal is a different feeling because when you sign for a one year loan then the first six months are very good but then you know and the trainer knows and the board and the club knows that you’re going away again so it’s a little bit like everybody is counting the days until you’re not there and it’s not like you can commit in the same way. It’s not like a permanent deal. It can be very good but for me I like to have more stability. It’s not so fun to move around all the time because it takes a little time to get into the community and to get to know people and to get to know how the things are working. For me I wanted to make a new step and go to a club where I felt I could stay for more than one year or a half year.”

If there was anxiety off the pitch Busk gave no hint of it when he was playing. His performances allowed him to cement his place at international level and enhanced his growing reputation. He was arguably Denmark’s standout player at last year’s U21 European Championships with two of his saves featuring in a UEFA top five about the group stages. Those displays attracted scouts but his loan deal complicated things. “The problem was that I had a very long contract with Copenhagen. It was in summer [the U21 Euros] and I was on a loan deal until the winter. So I was really not able to do anything unless there was a club who would pay a lot of money to get me out of everything. Then in the second game after the Championships I got injured for eight weeks and then the transfer window closed and everything was a little bit unlucky.”

When his loan spell in Norway finished Busk was given the offer to join Union and his signing could be viewed as something of a coup for the second division side. The 22-year-old seems destined to receive a cap in the Danish senior side sooner or later and one would expect him to be one of the first picks for Denmark’s Olympic squad in Brazil this summer. There he could face the likes of Neymar and Paulo Dybala. While he adds the disclaimer that a lot could happen between now and then, Busk admits his upgrade at club level and his status as first choice at Union should ensure that he’s there. “I’m their oldest goalkeeper and I played in the Championships last summer. I changed clubs and play on an even better level than I did before. I play good and I’m in good shape. I don’t see why I wouldn’t go there but it’s a long time until the Olympics and a lot of things can influence the decision. A lot of things can happen between now and then. Of course I want to play the Olympics. It would be a big experience.”

When I suggest that a call-up to the senior side must be on the horizon, Busk assures me that it’s not plaguing his thoughts. One thing at a time. “Of course everyone wants to play for the national team and I also want to play for the national team but I’m 22 years old and there’s hard competition in Denmark in that position. For me, it’s not like I expect to be a part of the set-up right now or that I think about because I know that when I play well here and develop myself and get more and more experience then it’s normal that things go that way at a certain point. For me it’s not something I think about. I’m very happy where I’m at a club where I play every week and at a good level. Developing myself.”

He understands that patience is required when Denmark have a goalkeeper of Kasper Schmeichel’s quality. The Leicester City keeper is only 29 years old too. Speaking of the Foxes, their fairy tale has been the subject of chat in the dressing room. “I think everybody is talking about this, it’s quite amazing and I think it’s very good for football. You see all of these clubs who spend a lot of money, I know Leicester also do because they have a very rich owner. But it’s not comparable to the likes of Chelsea for example. So I think it’s very good to see that you can still get success without money. Like a very good team. Obviously they have some very good players but it’s a team with a very good manager.”

After hearing his views on Leicester’s ultimate underdog story, I asked Busk if he could tell me what he thinks about the state of Danish football. Keep in mind that Denmark and Holland were the only former winners to not qualify for the expanded European Championships in France. “That’s a difficult question. You can’t say that it’s going very well because the national team didn’t qualify for the Championships and, okay, Midtjlland has okay success [in the Europa League] but they still got smashed in the end, they’re not performing so well in the league. Copenhagen, in my opinion, are two or three levels better than the other teams. It’s a shame for the league that it’s not competitive right now but Copenhagen has built a good team. They look strong and I think they could do well in Europe next year.

“But I think it has been a little bit down and it’s beginning to turn now. But I think the biggest problem is that Copenhagen is the only team that’s stable. They’re always in the fight for the title. They will win this year and I think they’ll win next year too. They built a team over the last few years which is now very good. Sure, they’ll sell two or three players in the summer but in Denmark they have money so the new players who come in will also be good players. I think the biggest problem is that you need another team to make it more competitive and entertaining. Midjtylland have done well for the last few years but now they’re struggling.”

At the mention of Brondby I bring up a story linking John Terry with the managerial position at the club and ask Busk what he thinks about it. He responds by asking me if I heard the story about Brondby’s owner. “That’s a mess. The trainer has left and I understand why. The owner wrote some horrible things about him on the fan site. He was going to be sacked anyway. Now people have sympathy with him. The trainer who left actually stabilised them but they haven’t won anything for nearly ten years, I think. Before that it was Copenhagen and Brondby fighting for every Championship. Now the biggest problem is that Copenhagen is very stable and the rest of the league aren’t.”

Not that the imbalance domestically has affected the national team. “Actually there’s not so many players in the national team playing in the Danish league. It is mostly players playing abroad. We actually have a good team but I’ve not been a part of the team so I’m only watching the games. I would rather not speak about why things haven’t been going great. Denmark has quite a good team. Very interesting players also. Now there’s a new coach and I think you will see more young players. For example, Andreas Christensen at Gladbach, Jannik Vestergaard at Bremen, Yussuf Paulsen at Leipzig.”

Bit of a theme there. Perhaps it was because leaving Denmark seemed inevitable that Busk didn’t find moving to Germany daunting. “No, I didn’t find it daunting at all, I’ve no problems with that. Of course, you always miss your girlfriend, your family and your dog. But I’ve no problem being alone sometimes. It’s not hard. [You’ve settled in?] Yeah, I think I have. People are pretty friendly and helpful. Also, the culture, it’s not far away from Denmark, it’s pretty much the same. Of course the language has been difficult because I don’t speak German yet. I’m trying to learn it. But I try my best and I do my work at school. I take lessons. It’s not every day but I try to be there at least twice a week. [Did the club organise this for you?] They were very helpful and offered me this opportunity to take some lessons and I have a very good teacher.”

When it comes to goalkeepers he admires I ask Busk who he considers to be the best goalkeeper in the world and whether or not there’s even a debate. Is Manuel Neuer the undisputed best or is David De Gea a challenger to his crown? He’s not keen to choose, saying that both can be the best on their day. The next question concerns heroes of his with a suggestion that Peter Schmeichel might have influenced his development into one of Denmark’s best prospects. Nope. “He’s a legend in Denmark but I’m too young, I’ve never seen him play. It’s not like I wanted to be him, I have great respect for his career and what he achieved. But I can’t say I was influenced by him because I didn’t see him play.”

It’s a fair point. I resisted the temptation to recommend a site called YouTube. When it comes to following his idols’ career trajectories growing up we’re talking about the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas and especially Edwin van der Sar. “When he was at his best he was my favourite [Yeah, I like Van der Sar as well, got a soft spot for him]. He’s a fucking legend! I saw he saved a penalty at the weekend [45 years old! Unbelievable].”

Van der Sar was famous for being something of a sweeper keeper, a description that was given about Busk by Sascha Lewandowski when the Dane arrived at Union. “I think that until I was 11 years old or something we played everywhere on the pitch. One day you came in and wanted to be a goalkeeper, the next a right-back, the next a left-winger. But the development of football is something that I grew up with, this style, that the goalkeeper has to be good with his feet. So I think it’s very normal that it comes to me very naturally. It’s always difficult to describe yourself – but I think that I’m a modern goalkeeper. I can play that part of the game. I can play with my feet. I don’t think it’s a bad description.”

All photographs featured in this article are courtesy of www.unveu.de. Check out the gallery here.