Nigeria international winger Samuel Chukwueze has revealed the reason why he had a poor debut season at Italian Serie A side AC Milan following his move to the team from Spanish side Villarreal last summer, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Chukwueze ended last season with three goals and three assists in 33 games drawing criticism from fans and the press owing to the fact that he was the club’s record purchase last summer.
He has however started this season on a high with a goal against Real Madrid on the back of his two assists against Manchester City and one against Barcelona, leading to talks that the new coach of AC Milan Paulo Fonseca has found a way to get the Nigerian firing to his potential.
Explaining the reason why he struggled last season under Stefano Pioli, Chukwueze said factors other than the abilities of the coach limited him to his best last season. “What didn’t work out with Pioli? “I arrived late, at the end of July, so it was a bit difficult to convince him. The players in my position were scoring. We are all human, and I wanted to play, but coaches are cautious, and that’s normal. I had a good relationship with Pioli; he is a fantastic man and a good coach, but that’s football”, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
On new coach Fonseca, he explained the reason behind the turnaround in his performance” “He only told me one thing: ‘Samuel, I don’t want to see the Chukwueze from last year. I want the one from Villarreal.’ And I said, ‘Okay, no problem.’ It’s like I’ve been reborn. I’m a new player.”
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
