After joining from Sampdoria in 2022, Brentford knew it would take a long amount of time for the winger to get back to full fitness and make it into the first team under Thomas Frank.
The Danish star missed six months of his final season in Serie A after a knee operation revealed he was suffering with a form of arthritis which he says scarred him mentally.
“The club knew I was still a long way from physically being able to play in the Premier League,” he said in April 2023.
“I’d lost a lot of kilos, so I was very, very skinny. I had confidence issues, and I didn’t have the same speed and power in my legs.
“They knew I was behind and had a lot of work to do, and I had thought that also, but this was the best place for me to develop, get some kilos on and get into the best shape possible. I could do that the fastest here, and the best here.”
Then the Denmark international returned and played 29 times for the Bees before being out for another 4 months after further knee surgery.
“It wasn’t back to square one, because the first injury I had in Italy, I was really down in the dumps,” he said in a recent interview.
“This was just a pure injury; it wasn’t anything to do with the sickness.
“I felt like I was getting there, and then I got injured. So, you lose it again and then have to build back up.
“It wasn’t always easy, but you have to keep going.”
This season however he has started seven games on the bounce and was was named Player of the Match after the Bees’ Premier League victories over Southampton and Wolves.
“It’s taken longer than I thought it would to get to this point,” Damsgaard admitted, “but hopefully I can keep going now and keep proving to Thomas (Frank) why I should play.
“When you’ve had a long-term injury, you don’t have your confidence. Your body doesn’t move the way you want it to, but you don’t understand why it doesn’t.
“The first step is being able to move the way you want; then you can do the things you have in your mind.”
“When you have a lot of confidence you think less and do what feels right. I definitely think I can still build on my confidence, but I’m in a good space right now."