armory And Manchester United He may be chasing Danilo now, but the midfielder's latest comments show just how close he is nottingham forest Career took a very different path.
The Botafogo star has become one of the most talked-about players in Brazil ahead of the World Cup.
He is expected to leave Botafogo after the tournament in 2026, after scoring 11 goals and 3 assists in 26 appearances for club and country, with many other European clubs keeping a close eye on the situation. newcastle There is also one of them.
Yet Danilo admits it felt like nothing so long ago.
The nottingham forest shock changed everything
The midfielder opened up about his difficult spell at Nottingham Forest and the serious ankle injury which changed the course of his career.
"It was a tough period. Breaking my ankle and going through an entire season with an injury, then coming back and not playing a game... those were things that helped me a lot mentally and made me stronger."
"I knew I had the World Cup to play and I needed minutes and preparation. That helped me with the performances I showed with Botafogo and the national team. The culture of England also helped me get stronger."
Danilo's comments reinforce the feeling that his problems at Forest were not about ability but circumstances. At the worst moment he suffered a serious injury and from there he had to struggle to regain his place.
"I didn't want to return to Brazil"
Danilo also revealed that leaving England was never part of the original plan.
"It was very difficult. I'm old enough to be in Europe, but because of my serious injury I lost my place at Nottingham."
"At first, I didn't want to return to Brazil. I wanted to change things and shine, but this is football and there are things you can't control."
The midfielder admitted that he had doubts when he returned home.
"I came back worried that I hadn't made the right decision. It was a project built around the World Cup and then I had more injuries that got in the way."
"The fear I had from before became reality because I was not being called up and could not play games. But since January I managed to do my best physically and mentally and show my football."
That improvement has changed his situation. What seemed like a step back is now taking him to the World Cup and potentially back to the Premier League.
"That step backward was followed by two or more steps forward."
From winger to World Cup midfielder
Danilo also explained how the change in his position years ago helped shape the player armory And Manchester United Now monitoring.
Today he describes himself as a midfielder who is capable of playing multiple roles.
"Nowadays, when a player is box-to-box it makes everything easier for teammates and the coach."
"I can play as a No. 5, No. 8 and even as a No. 10. I can defend, attack and go box-to-box. That helps me a lot."
The versatility comes from his young career.
“I always played as a number 10 or an inverted winger at the Bahia academy.”
The change to the midfield happened during a youth tournament in the Czech Republic, and it came with a very simple instruction.
“When they moved me into midfield, they only asked me to take two touches.”
"Guilme Aymbre, who was the assistant coach of the Palmeiras under-20s, said to me: 'I know you are a winger and you like to dribble, but there is no dribbling in midfield.'"
Danilo ignored the advice almost immediately.
"I came on in the second half and on the very first ball I tried to dribble two players and lost possession."He said. "He went crazy on the bench."
Ultimately the lesson stuck.
"They gave me a chance in midfield, even though I had never played there before. I had some slowness in the first five meters and we worked on that. It helped me a lot over time."
"After that tournament I returned to the under-20 team in a different state and with more confidence."
That confidence is now taking him to the World Cup – and perhaps back to England, where Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs watching closely.
