Former Arsenal midfielder Denilson has been putting in a string of good performances of his Brazilian club São Paulo in the last few months. This has led to praise from manager Muricy Ramalho, who says that the player appears to have come of age. The 26-year-old has previously struggled to providing consistent performances from the pitch. This was one of the primary reasons behind his return back to Brazil. Even after having been playing with São Paulo for the last few years, Denilson has not been a major player. This has changed in the last few months after the midfielder has contributed to São Paulo’s ascent in the table.

The Brazilian outfit are just seven points behind leaders Cruzeiro in the Brazilian Serie A after having played 23 matches. They hold only a slender advantage over clubs like Corinthians and Gremio, but that is not a problem for Ramalho as long as the team is performing well. São Paulo could have been much higher in the table had it not been for the recent defeats against Coritiba and Corinthians in the league. Prior to these back-to-back defeats, they went five matches without defeat. Denilson has said that he is extremely happy that his performances have been noted by the manager.

“I think over time you become more mature and the responsibility I have with my appointments have improved my work within the club. I’m happy for the compliments of Muricy. With them well, we are valued, no doubt. I ask you to give a moral for warriors back there too and with every passing it improves and we are most recognized day. Without a doubt. I believe everything is possible. I prefer to focus game by game. On Wednesday we will have a tough match on neutral ground,” said the former Arsenal man.