Matthijs de Ligt says he has learned to “believe in myself” at Juventus and that filling in for Giorgio Chiellini has been “a great challenge”.
Juve splashed out €85.5m to make De Ligt the most expensive defender in Italian football history, and the 20-year-old has been thrown straight in following an ACL injury to Chiellini.
“The most important lesson I’ve learned at Juve to date is that I have to believe in myself,” he told NU.nl.
“Initially I was focused above all on not making mistakes, something I absolutely shouldn’t do. In my first few weeks I was thinking about it too much.
“After the match against Atletico, I tried to recover and get back on to the field with confidence.
“Something can always go wrong, but I’m sure things will get better. Since then, my performances have improved.”
Despite that, the Dutchman gave away a penalty during the Old Lady’s 2-1 win at Inter on Sunday…
“It’s part of the game. Unfortunately that’s the life of a defender. Obviously I didn’t want to give away a penalty, but in the end we won and that’s what matters.
“I understand it when Sarri says he wants to see more from me. Every player who joins a team should be afforded time to settle in.
“Juventus already had two wonderful defenders in Chiellini and Bonucci. The idea was to insert myself gradually.
“Instead I was sent to the field right away, and for me it’s a great challenge.”