Fulham’s Sander Berge: ‘I can be more brutal, more nasty … you need that’

Sander Berge at Fulham’s training ground. ‘We want to go all the way,’ he says of his side’s FA Cup chances. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Observer

As Fulham finalise their preparations for Sunday’s trip to Manchester United in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Sander Berge is thinking about how to handle adversity. “It taught me a lot about myself,” the midfielder says, recalling how spirits could have sagged when he was part of unsuccessful fights for survival with Burnley and Sheffield United.

“When you’re struggling every day it’s difficult. That’s a time to show character more than ever. You demand the ball, you take pride in going out there and showing you have the ability to stay at that level. It’s about who you want to be.”