Juventus new boy Adrien Rabiot says he’s being worked “much harder” in his new surroundings than at former club Paris Saint-Germain.
The 24-year-old French midfielder relocated to Turin as a free agent this summer following the expiration of his PSG contract.
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He made his unofficial debut against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 International Champions Cup, coming on as a second-half substitute, but suffered a 3-2 defeat.
Interestingly, this was Rabiot’s first game in nearly a year after being made persona non grata after falling out with PSG boss Thomas Tuchel, which came soon after his international career was put on ice.
Rabiot infamously declined to be put on Didier Deschamps’ reserve list for the 2018 World Cup finals, but that’s now in the past with him looking forward to representing the Old Lady, who have already pushed him further than what he’s known before.
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“My first impressions have been good,” he told reporters.
“I’m very happy to be here and I want to work well. This first game also gave me some good feelings.
“It’s been 10 months since I played a match and it went well. Physically there have been some difficulties because it’s been barely more than a week since we started working again, but I think that with time and more training, everything will get better.
“It’s too early to make comparisons between Italian and French football, but the way of working is different. As far as the amount of effort is concerned, I can say that here it’s much harder than in France.”
Rabiot’s journey. Five key things to know…
- A graduate of PSG’s academy, Rabiot spent a brief period of his youth career at Man City.
- He broke into the PSG first team in 2012, making 227 appearances, with a loan spell at Toulouse in-between.
- Rabiot’s international career is currently on ice following a refusal to be part of France’s reserve list for the 2018 World Cup.
- A tempestuous relationship with Tuchel spelt the end of his time at PSG.
- Several clubs were linked with his signature but in the end, Rabiot joined Juve this summer as a free agent.