Kim Min-jae details how he has settled in at Napoli and claims Olivier Giroud is the toughest opponent he’s faced in Serie A so far.
The Korean defender joined the Partenopei in the summer to replace Kalidou Koulibaly and has already filled his boots at the Stadio Maradona with two goals in eight games across all competitions and solid performances in defence.
The 25-year-old is one of the cornerstones of the South Korea national team that will participate in the World Cup in November.
“Everyone dreams of playing at the World Cup, it’s my first time and I feel a bit anxious,” he told Korean media Star News, as quoted by Calciomercato.com.
“I still need to learn and improve; I’ve tried to do exactly what the coach told me. Adapting to a top league is hard, but I thought I had to do it unconditionally. I figured that I wouldn’t play if I could not keep up with pace. My teammates have helped me and everyone’s been so good to me.”
The Partenopei beat Milan in the last game before the break on Sunday and are the current Serie A leaders with 17 points, along with Atalanta.
The ex-Fenerbache defender has named the toughest opponent he’s faced in Italy so far: “It’s [Olivier] Giroud, he has the qualities of a pure striker and great strength. You must keep your position and be focused for 90 minutes to mark him.”
The France striker found the net against the Partenopei last week, but it was not enough to avoid Milan’s first defeat this season.