Blackburn Rovers midfielder Axel Henriksson has opened up on the challenges of adapting to English football after a difficult start to life at Ewood Park.
The 23-year-old Swede joined Rovers in the summer but only recently broke back into the starting lineup, featuring against Coventry City and Sheffield United after a long spell on the sidelines.
1-0 GAIS! Axel Henriksson stöter in bollen i mål! 🟢⚫
📲 Se matchen på https://t.co/ocJJkbIhfX pic.twitter.com/Iin3ve1U5K
— Sports on HBO Max 🇸🇪 (@sportshbomaxse) May 6, 2024
Sweden Switch Was A Bit of a Shock
Henriksson, who impressed in Sweden last season with 8 goals from midfield, admitted that the physicality and pace of the Championship initially caught him off guard.
After recovering from a hand injury, he finally made consecutive starts, clocking more minutes in four days than across his entire Rovers career so far.
He told RoversTV that his early experience was a “shock” due to the intensity and cultural changes both on and off the pitch.
“I felt like it was a bit of a shock in the beginning, just everything at the same time. New people, new football, new surroundings, everything. Now it feels good so I can just be focused on trying to adapt and do good training mostly.”
The midfielder described English football as more “front-foot and physical” than in Sweden, where teams often take a tactical and conservative approach. Henriksson said that adapting to this new tempo has been a major focus during training sessions and match preparation.
Let’s go @Rovers 🌹 pic.twitter.com/QhegiEwZj4
— Axel Henriksson (@AxelHenriksson1) August 7, 2025
Move Challenging Personally, and Professionally
Henriksson revealed that the move to Ewood Park has been challenging personally as well as professionally, with family and friends only recently visiting to help him settle. He believes that stability off the field is now translating into more confident performances on it.
“Of course it’s different, but I feel like now after 2 months here in England, I feel like I’m at a steady place. I have my friends coming over, my family coming over, so I feel a bit calmer now.”
The Swede has shown glimpses of the attacking instincts that persuaded Rovers to sign him, almost scoring against Coventry and speaking confidently about his goal threat from midfield. He said his aim is to “sniff out” space inside the box and capitalise on quick chances, a hallmark of his play back home.
For Blackburn, who have struggled for consistency and find themselves near the bottom of the Championship, Henriksson’s emergence offers some encouragement. Head coach Valerien Ismael has spoken previously about the importance of younger signings stepping up, and Henriksson’s progress will be viewed as a small victory amid difficult results.
As Rovers look to rebuild momentum, the midfielder’s growing comfort with the English game could prove vital. His adaptation marks another step in the club’s wider effort to integrate international recruits into a demanding division that will need every spark of quality as they fight to move up the table.
