Felipe Anderson believes he has ‘improved a great deal’ since leaving Premier League side West Ham United and returning to Serie A with Lazio, as he told Football Italia.
Form, as they say, is merely temporary.
Anderson was one of the hottest prospects in Italian football during his first spell at the Stadio Olimpico; a close friend of Neymar producing performances the PSG superstar would have been proud of in Lazio’s sky blue hue.
Returning to Rome in July with West Ham looking to get his £80,000-a-week contract off the wage bill, it’s like he has never been away.
Anderson turned back the clock to 2016 during his Man of the Match performance in last week’s 3-2 derby victory over Roma, with Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri paying tribute to the Brazilian’s ‘extraordinary talent’.
Clearly, a fresh start has done him the world of good.
Is Felipe Anderson proving a point to West Ham?
“I have improved a great deal already with the coach,” Anderson said of Sarri, who has given the winger far more freedom than the disciplinarian David Moyes ever did.
“I am convinced over time the whole team will understand fully what he wants from us. I always wanted to work on my consistency, even within a single game, and I’m getting there. The idea is to be constantly focused and ready from the first minute to the 90th.
“I know that I am capable of making the difference, but I used to struggle with the pressure when I was younger. It’s different now, I am on the right path.
“Everyone knows I feel at home with Lazio. I’ve always expressed my love for Italy and the city of Rome. I never lost contact with my friends here, even after leaving. I feel that I’ve returned a more mature player.”
Lazio paid £4 million to bring Anderson home – £32 million less than the record transfer fee West Ham stumped up during the summer of 2018.
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