Since Felix Agu was away on international duty at the end of May following the end of last season, the 25-year-old started pre-season one week later than the majority of his teammates. In a press-conference between training sessions on Thursday, the full-back spoke to journalists about…
…the change of head coach: “I got on really well with Ole – he showed faith in me during my injuries and gave me game time ahead of schedule. I’m thankful to him for that and know that it’s special. But a new coach is also a breath of fresh air, and I’m looking forward to learning new things and having the chance to work under Horst Steffen.”
…first impressions of Horst Steffen: “My first impressions have been good – he is very nice and is really open with people. He’s trying to get the new system across quickly and to incorporate his philosophy on and off the pitch with good cooperation.”
…his role: “There’s a new head coach and, for him, it doesn’t matter what happened in the past, but rather what everyone has to prove once again. For me, it’s all about making a case to be a starter. I’m assuming that I’ll be a fixture in the squad – nothing else has indicated otherwise.”
…his position: “Where I play actually doesn’t matter that much to me. It’s a case of training on one side in order to get a better feel for the drills. I feel comfortable on both flanks and have been training on the right in the first few days.”
…the possible change to a four-man backline: “I like both – in the five-at-the-back system, I interpreted my position to be slightly more defensive than Mitch did. In the new system, the full-backs won’t be stuck to the halfway line either – they’ll get enough chances to get forward. I played in a four-man backline for the first time in a while for Nigeria – I’m always ready to learn new things.”
…Mitchell Weiser’s injury: “It was really unfortunate. At this stage, all I can do is wish him all the best and hope for a speedy recovery. Mitch isn’t someone who screams out and stays down on the floor, which is why we suspected relatively quickly that something was wrong. We saw him in the dressing room today and just gave him our well wishes.”
I’m feeling good regardless of the international match.
…the number of absentees: “When people start getting injured one after the other, it affects the mood in the camp. That’s just what happens in football, though, and things like this unfortunately are part of the game in contact sport. So many people getting injured all at once is unlucky.”
…his international debut: “I’m feeling good regardless of the international match. I’ve not become a different player because of it, but it definitely boosts your confidence. It was a great experience and a different experience to club football. My goal is to stay part of the team.”
