Newly signed Napoli defender Ivan Strinic chose his new club because ‘they have a plan’, but stresses that what he needs now is ‘hard work’.
The 27-year-old yesterday officially signed with the Vesuviani and has spoken now of his delight in the move.
“Napoli is a leap in quality for me,” Strinic has told Croatian outlet Jutarnji. “I'm in a great team and I'm not short of incentives to do well.
Newly signed Napoli defender Ivan Strinic chose his new club because ‘they have a plan’, but stresses that what he needs now is ‘hard work’.
The 27-year-old yesterday officially signed with the Vesuviani and has spoken now of his delight in the move.
“Napoli is a leap in quality for me,” Strinic has told Croatian outlet Jutarnji. “I'm in a great team and I'm not short of incentives to do well.
“I don't want to make promises, I only want to work hard and reach my objectives step by step. I'd like to thank Dnipro, I left the club on good terms.
“I wanted a different adventure in a new League. I spoke at length with [Napoli Coach Rafa] Benitez. He knows that I haven't played for a month-and-a-half because of a rib fracture that kept me off the pitch. Now I must think about recovering my best physical condition.
“I chose Napoli because there is a plan here. I didn't think about it too long before making my decision. My teammates have welcomed me very well.
“Neither [Gonzalo] Higuain nor the others behave like stars. There's a great harmony in the changing room. Our objective is the Champions League, it's going to be a battle to the end with the other rivals.”
Strinic was also asked about his impressions of the Stadio San Paolo and his new ambience.
“Southern people are very passionate, on Friday we had an 11am training session and almost 30,000 people came to see us. It says a lot about how the tifosi live for football and for Napoli.”