13 July 2018
NEW BEGINNINGS
“It’s an important part of my career. I’m at a big club and I have to demonstrate that I deserve to be here. I gave everything that I could whilst I was at Atalanta, and I knew that it would prepare me well for Juventus. I feel great to be here.
“My idol when I was young was Alessandro Nesta, I tried to emulate him as much as I could and I’ve even chosen the number 13 that he used to wear. In the last few years, I’ve looked up to Giorgio Chiellini and to play with him this season is a huge honour for me. I want to learn from him as much as possible.
“Without my family, I wouldn’t be here. They’ve been alongside me in difficult moments and the reason I’m here. My mentality is down to them and my girlfriend is close to me as well. Gian Piero Gasperini gave me a lot in the last few years. He told me don’t be afraid to go to Juventus, you have to demonstrate your quality right away and I’ll be eternally grateful to him.”
NEW TEAMMATES
“It will be a big stimulus to have Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad and I’m curious to see how he constantly remains at the top level and to see what keeps him going. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for Ronaldo, it’s been a long time since a player like him came to Italy and I’m very excited to play alongside him.
“I’m pleased to be playing with Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, you just have to look at them in training to see why Juventus keep winning. From Chiellini, I want to learn his concentration skills and how he moves closer to his marker, and from Barzagli his ability to play long balls and the way he is in and out of possession.
“You can understand straight away how Massimiliano Allegri has won so much. He earns the respect of all the players because he knows the right time when to joke and when to be serious. He’s shown a lot of faith in me and I hope to repay it.
“The hardest player for me to mark in Serie A has actually been Mario Mandzukic, because of his physicality and mentality. Whilst last year Douglas Costa had something above the rest, at the minimum he will always skip past two players and is a very difficult customer.”
