09 September 2015
After a brief interval for international commitments, Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus reconvened in Vinovo on Monday as attentions turn to domestic matters for the visit of Chievo this weekend.
One man confident to make his mark for the Bianconeri and get both their and his season up and running in earnest is deadline day arrival Hernanes.
Answering the questions of Sky Sport 24 after training today, the Brazilian reflected on his new teammates, the Juventus setup and the squad’s preparations for Saturday’s game.
He began: “Personally I feel great, I’m ready. As a team we’ve worked well in the last few days and I think we’re in good shape in terms of our fitness.
“The setup here in Vinovo is very professional, no stone is left unturned especially when it comes to ensuring we put our work on the training pitch into practice for the big occasions.”
As for the Bianconeri’s ambitions and prospects for the new season, the Old Lady’s new number 11 had no doubts that the coming campaign will be a positive one, stressing the underlying strength of the reigning champions.
“Juventus are still the team to beat, they’ve maintained a strong spine and they are the strongest team in Italy at the moment. On the pitch, we have to forget what happened in the last two games and make sure we collect all three points on Saturday.”
Passing from his new club’s ambitions to his own personal emotions at the dawn of a new adventure, the experienced midfielder had nothing but praise for his new colleagues and the welcome received by all of the club’s recent arrivals.
“Italian footballers are very sociable and they’re used to integrating foreign guys into the dressing room. They know how to deal with these situations and they’ve given me a fantastic welcome.
Out on the field, naturally, it will take a bit of time for us to get used to each other and to start playing instinctively but that will come.”
And what of the Brazilian’s goals on the field? To contribute in the final third as best he can and relish the rich competition for places at Juventus Stadium.
He concluded, “As I’ve seen in training myself, there are some fine players competing for the same attacking roles.
"The manager and I have an understanding of where we believe my best position is but whenever called upon, I’ll give my all in any position for this team.”
