Family time keeping Wolves' Leander Dendoncker sane and sharp
Wolves utility man Leander Dendoncker has offered a fascinating insight into what he has been getting up to during lockdown.
The 25-year-old Belgian and his girlfriend have spent the past several weeks with his family in Brussels rather than staying in Wolverhampton.
And he is thankful to have been able to stay there, although it is different from how it was when he grew up – on a farm.
“I’ve been away from home since I was 14, even though I was in the same country, in Belgium,” said Dendoncker.
“I’m quite used to being on my own, so it’s always nice to return home and see my family.
“It’s nice to see all my family. My father used to be a farmer.
“We had a lot of pigs and used to play around a lot, but they sold the farm three or four years ago, so it’s not the farm anymore!
“It’s just a house now, so I’ve been trying to run every day – next to the club where I used to play, Anderlecht.
“There’s a lake there and I’m trying to around there every day. It’s like five minutes away from here, so I’m running.”
And as well as doing a lot of running, Dendoncker has been able to keep his ball skills sharp.
That is because he is currently living with his younger brother, Lars, who plays for Club Brugge.
The 19-year-old, like Leander, can also play in defence or midfield.
“My younger brother, Lars plays for Club Brugge,” said Dendoncker.
“We went to cycle together and I’ve noticed he’s grown a lot and become a lot stronger – it’s hard for me to beat him now.
“We’ve been playing football one-v-one, so I can’t complain.”
When not running or trying to outwit Lars, Dendoncker has – like many of us – been watching programmes on Netflix or playing video games.
As an avid player of Fifa 20, he was not surprised in the slightest that fellow Wolves star Diogo Jota managed to win the ePremier League Invitational last weekend – having lost to the Portuguese on a few occasions.
“I was not surprised, at all,” said Dendoncker. “I play a lot of Fifa, too, and I’ve played against Diogo a few times.
“The first time, I won. But the four times after that, he won, so I was not surprised as he’s an amazing Fifa player – and an amazing player in real life.
“I think that’s all he’s doing. I don’t think he’s doing a lot apart from that. He’s really committed.”
Dendoncker, naturally, has been keeping in touch with his Wolves team-mates during these uncertain times – although he does admit the group chat has not been quite as lively as it was at the beginning of lockdown.
“We have a WhatsApp group together and speak quite a lot,” he said.
“It’s important to maintain a good understanding and relationship as players and staff.
“That’s what we’ve been trying to do, but it has been a long period, so maybe over the last couple of weeks, the contact has been less than before.
“I’ve been talking to a few players – (Willy) Boly, Adama (Traore), Romain (Saiss) – and we’re friendly in the group.”
Still, messaging does not match up to chatting face-to-face and Dendoncker is longing for the day Wolves can return to training at Compton.
A Premier League meeting is taking place today and expected to offer more clarity on what will be done with the rest of the season.
On what he has missed most about football over the past couple of months, Dendoncker added: “Just playing it. I can play against my brother, but it’s not really a competition.
“I just miss being with the lads, being there with the whole team.”
