FC Helsingør says goodbye to four more players whose contracts expire at the end of the season. Goalkeeper Frederik Rej-Rosenqvist, midfielders Mihkel Ainsalu and Mathias “Mac” Christensen, and utility defender Jonas Henriksen are all saying farewell at the end of this season.
Mihkel Ainsalu was brought in for the midfield, but Norouzi and Juul Christensen’s great form in midfield has kept the talented Estonian on the bench, and he is moving on in his career at the end of the season.
Sports director Brian Gellert comments on the departures:
– “Rej” and “Mac” have both been part of our setup all the way from youth level, and have been an important part of our training environment and contributed to our good dressing room. Mathias also managed to play for us on the first team, and started in what was probably the most decisive match in FCH’s history: the promotion match in Jammerbugt. They are both moving on with a good education, and we wish them all the best.
– Mihkel has been unlucky in the sense that we were challenged in midfield in winter, and we were missing an extra man. We needed to bring in some quality, but since the first match in Kolding, Norouzi and Frederik Juul have been outstanding and avoided suspension points.
– Jonas Henriksen has been the players’ man, the coaches’ man, the club’s man and the fans’ man. He is one of the most popular players in the club’s history. He is a fantastic person, and a footballer with a very high baseline level, on whom you could always rely, both on and off the pitch. It is a loss for FC Helsingør, but Jonas has not been able to combine his company with professional football any longer. A huge thank you to Jonas for his time at FCH. He will be missed.
21-year-old Frederik Rej-Rosenqvist has had a short spell at Hornbæk, but has otherwise played for FC Helsingør for most of his career. Despite his young age, he was part of the senior squad when the club played in the Superliga. Rej-Rosenqvist is looking for a club with more playing time:
– It has been great to be able to play daily in my youth club. It has been an excellent setup, and it has been great to be in the squad and involved all the way up in the Superliga. But I also want to play matches. It is a shame it won’t be at FC Helsingør, I’ve been really happy here, but that’s football sometimes.
Mathias “Mac” Christensen has also been involved since youth level, and says farewell after one season at senior level.
– It has been a really good senior year in a professional environment, with good training sessions and coaches. But there hasn’t been that much playing time, so I need to go out and find a place with playing time so I can develop further. I’ve been happy with my time here, and I will miss the club and the many good people here.
30-year-old Jonas Henriksen is the most experienced of the four, and joined the club in the Superliga season in 2017. However, Henriksen has struggled a lot with injuries over the past year, and accepts that the contract expiry likely means the end of his top-level football career:
– It is a slightly sad way to stop. I had hoped that I could play during my final time here and say goodbye from the pitch. But unfortunately my knee injury made it different. Luckily, though, it is improving.
– I have had to balance top-level football with running my own company on the side, and I think the time has come for me to focus on my company. The club has been very accommodating in giving me extra days off for my work, and making sure I could combine the two things.
-I couldn’t have asked for more from the club, so I have been very grateful for that. I also think I am leaving the club in a good place. I have had many great experiences here, with Superliga football and the promotion. I want to send a huge thank you to everyone at the club, the staff and the fans for my time here. I have enjoyed every second and I know that I will miss the club and football.
Frederik Rej-Rosenqvist did not make any first-team appearances during his time at FCH, Mihkel Ainsalu played five matches without scoring, Mathias Christensen made six appearances, also without goals, and Jonas Henriksen played 73 matches with five goals.
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
