“My arrival in Italy was a bit strange,” he admitted. “Immediately, there was the international break, then I had ‘flu that forced me out of training and, finally, a false-positive COVID-19 test that almost made me miss the match against Club Brugge in the Champions League.

“It was very nice to score in my first game as a starter. I think we can do positive things this year.

“It was a difficult match with some confusing referee decisions but, what I have learned in a short space of time, is this is a team that seeks victory until the last second, regardless of the obstacles.”