Having impressed on his Serie A (and European) debut against Monza at the weekend, Lautaro Giannetti sat down with Udinese TV on Monday to reflect on his first few weeks in Italy.
He began by offering his take on the 0-0 draw, which Udinese dominated without managing to score.
“I think we deserved to win. Monza really struggled against us even though they're a great team.
“I want to thank my team-mates and the staff for believing in me. They've all welcomed me in so well and are helping me to settle in quickly.”
He then revealed the reasons behind his decision to join Udinese.
“The club contacted me in December. I had other offers on the table but this was an opportunity I couldn't miss. Since I was kid, I dreamed of playing in a top league like Serie A. I spoke to Roberto Pereyra before coming here as we have a mutual friend and he told me good things about the club. His opinion was important.”
Prior to making the move across the Atlantic, the 30-year-old had spent his entire career at Velez Sarsfield.
“I've played in every position in the back three so it makes no difference to me. Last season we were in a similar situation to Udinese's now but we focused on the task, got ourselves out of it and moved on."
By his own self-admission, he's not a player who scores many but says he makes up for it with his dedication to the cause.
“I don't score a lot – I only got one last season – but I never leave anything on the pitch. I might have a good or bad game but I always give 100%.”
Giannetti then ended by sharing his first impressions of his new home.
“Udine is a really nice city and I'm settling in well. My family joined me a week ago and we're getting to know the city.”