New Napoli signing Manolo Gabbiadini says he’s ready to face former club Juventus at San Paolo on Sunday.
The 23-year-old was on the Bianconeri books, but failed to make a single competitive appearance for the Old Lady.
After joining the Partenopei, who bought out his co-ownership deal with Juventus and Sampdoria, the forward insists he’s ready to face the champions on Sunday.
“Whether I play is down to the Coach [Rafa Benitez],” Gabbiadini told journalists at his official presentation as a Napoli player.
New Napoli signing Manolo Gabbiadini says he’s ready to face former club Juventus at San Paolo on Sunday.
The 23-year-old was on the Bianconeri books, but failed to make a single competitive appearance for the Old Lady.
After joining the Partenopei, who bought out his co-ownership deal with Juventus and Sampdoria, the forward insists he’s ready to face the champions on Sunday.
“Whether I play is down to the Coach [Rafa Benitez],” Gabbiadini told journalists at his official presentation as a Napoli player.
“I’ve been playing [for Sampdoria], so physically I’m fine.
“I’m ready to score against Juventus, but the important thing is the win, it doesn’t matter who scores. You have to win, it doesn’t matter who you play against.
“I wasn’t hurt [by not playing for Juve], now I’m happy to be a Napoli player.
“Would I celebrate? I don’t know, it’s instinctive We’ll see…”
The striker also discussed Napoli’s ambitions for the season, and doesn’t believe the Scudetto race is over just yet.
“The Supercoppa win gives us a boost, we’ll take things a game at a time. We’ll look at the table at the end of the season.
“Is a comeback possible? Football is good for that kind of thing, there are still a lot of games to go.
“You never know, we’ll work hard and we’ll give everything then we’ll see where we are in May.”
The Italian international received a rapturous welcome when signing for the Partenopei, with over 1000 fans turning up at the airport to greet him, and Gabbiadini says the pressure of the Napoli fans is not a hindrance.
“It’s hard to describe [the atmosphere at Napoli],” the forward admitted.
“I’ve never had a similar experience. Naples is a passionate city, but to actually experience this atmosphere is different.
“I already knew some things, and I hope to do even better on the pitch. This is a great club with a great Coach and great players.
“The pressure? It’s something that I can shoulder, I want to use it in a positive way. I already knew Naples and I knew it was a beautiful city.
“I haven’t seen much of the city, since I’ve recently arrived, I’ve mainly been thinking about the pitch.
“I’ll always give everything, and I’ll always honour the shirt, I’ll do my talking on the field.”
image via @sscnapoli