AS Torino of Italy defender, Ola Aina has pushed himself forward for more relevance for club and country, as footballlive.ng reports that the lad on loan from Chelsea has declared that he can play upfront, as a winger in any team.
After returning from injury to regain his spot in Torino’s main squad, Aina was officially unveiled by the Turin-based Serie A club, and he used the opportunity to recount how he started out playing on the wings.
Aina shot his mind back to his early days in England, where he said he was motivated to play as a winger by the skills of David Beckham, but he was spoon converted to play as a full back, which he has been doing ever since.
However, moving forward, the dark-skinned Super Eagles player, who missed being at the World Cup with Nigeria by the whiskers, says he has versatile abilities and would love any opportunity to show his eye for goal.
Aina, who also revealed how he admires Marcelo of Real Madrid, said further that he is happy to be back from injury and in contention for action this weekend against Napoli.
The dark-skinned full back said he is determined to leave the pitch with a win against Napoli this weekend, but admits it will be a very difficult game.
The 21-year-old Aina, who joined The Granata on loan from Chelsea in the summer, said: “We have a very difficult game.
“We know how dangerous they can be, they press a lot and are very good. But the squad we have means we can rely on players being united.
“I expect a good performance from everyone, including myself. I hope we can leave the pitch with a win for our fans.
“My teammates have made me feel good from the beginning, I thank them because it made it much easier for me to settle in.
“Serie A is very different from the Premier League, the football in England is more physical and fast.
“It’s slower here and there’s more time to think, but you need a very different, more intense, attention to tactics.
“That’s good for me, because that’s exactly what I need to improve. I really like Turin. It’s not as big as London, but it’s a bit more relaxed and relaxing, a bit like me.
“In England we train a lot in the morning, here it’s more the afternoon. I’m getting used to it though. Everyone is adapting to me, and obviously vice-versa.
“I chose Torino because of the Coach [Walter Mazzarri], I talked to him and I got the feeling he wanted me and wanted to help me grow.
“I also felt he wanted me to work for him, that I could be important for his cause. Then of course Torino have a great history and the Italian league is one of the best, so I couldn’t say no.”
