Andreas Schjelderup Scout Report At Benfica 2026/2027: Can Marco Silva Tactics Turn The Norwegian Talent Into An Elite Winger? - Player Analysis

Andreas Schjelderup burst into the public eye when he scored a blistering goal for Norway against England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.

However, the story of Schjelderup isn’t just limited to his work with Norway; he has been a constant growing force for Portuguese giants SL Benfica.

Born in Bodø, Norway, Schjelderup came through the Bodø/Glimt academy before joining Nordsjælland, where he spent three years between the senior and junior teams before Benfica spotted his talent and signed him in 2024.

In his debut season in 2024/2025, he scored four goals and assisted five times, while in the 2025/2026 season he had his personal best campaign of 11 goals and six assists under current Real Madrid coach José Mourinho.

Now, with the arrival of former Everton manager Marco Silva, Schjelderup is expected to launch into top gear and become an elite player.

In this Andreas Schjelderup scout report and player analysis, we take a look at Schjelderup’s style of play under Mourinho and how he has changed under Marco Silva tactics.

Andreas Schjelderup Physical Traits

Schjelderup stands at 177cm, but what really defines him is his physique.

He has a physique balanced between an ectomorph and an endomorph, which is why he has relatively long legs and a small upper body.

According to the UEFA Europa League website, Schjelderup hit a top speed of 31.2 km/h in the 2026/2027 season.

He uses long strides, allowing him to cover ground quickly, but most importantly, enabling him to have sudden bursts of pace to beat defenders.

Perhaps this is why his speed remains intact even when he has the ball, because he doesn't slow down despite having possession.

Playing as an inverted winger, his speed allows him to cut inside onto his right foot.

When receiving the ball with his back to the defender, he uses his body to protect it, putting himself between the ball and his opponent to make it difficult for defenders to nick possession from him.

Andreas Schjelderup Technical Profile

One of Schjelderup's biggest advantages is his first touch.

While he is predominantly a right-footed player, he is ambipedal, meaning he can receive and control the ball with both feet, as seen in Figure 1.

This gives him a sense of unpredictability.

For example, when he receives the ball with his back to the defender, the opponent cannot anticipate which foot he will use to take a touch and later which direction he will use to progress.

His close control and his ability to manipulate the direction of the ball in tight spaces mean he's extremely difficult to dispossess, making him press resistant (as seen in Figure 2).

This is reflected in his low figure of 10.66 losses of possession in his own half per 90 minutes

Schjelderup played under Portuguese coach Mourinho last season, and this meant that Benfica used a more direct style of play which was characterised by vertical progression and frequent forward passes.

Whenever he would receive the ball in the deeper areas, he would look to progress as quickly as possible and attack the space left by the defender.

This meant that the risk of getting intercepted is higher, but he still recorded 33.12 accurate passes per 90 minutes.

However, within this quote, he only plays 1.23 long passes per 90, which is not down to a question of skill but that of preference, since he looks to keep the ball on the ground and only uses the long ball to attempt to switch flanks.

Schjelderup's ace in his game is his dribbling ability.

He combines close control with quick lane shifts to dribble past defenders.

He frequently used the outside of his boot to shift the ball between lanes while using the bridge of his foot to push the ball forward and accelerate away from his marker, as seen in Figure 3.

His 5.92 dribbles completed per 90 demonstrate his effectiveness in 1v1 situations.

Furthermore, his 5.08 progressive runs per 90 under Mourinho shows that most of his ball carrying consisted of vertical carries.

His ability to shift lanes rapidly meant that opposition coaches had to resort to putting two players on him in case of 1v1 situations, as seen in Figure 4.

His 10.63 offensive duels won per 90 suggests that coaches must have a plan to deal with Schjelderup's footwork because he is difficult to dispossess.