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He was very happy to come: Leeds United’s Gaetano Berardi shares conversations he had with summer signing Ezgjan Alioski

A general view of Elland Road Stadium prior to kick off in the Sky Bet Championship League match between Leeds United and Bolton Wanderers, at Ella...
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The Leeds United defender played for Alioski’s former club Lugano as a youth.

Gaetano Berardi of Leeds and Ashley Barnes of Burnley in action during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Burnley and Leeds United at Turf Moor on September 19, 2017 in Burnley,...

Gaetano Berardi has shared details of the conversations he had with Ezgjan Alioski ahead of the latter’s move to Leeds United.

Alioski arrived at Elland Road from Swiss Super League side Lugano, the club at which Berardi spent three years as a youth.

Amd naturally, it was Berardi to whom the Macedonian turned after being approached by Leeds earlier this year.

When asked if he’d helped Alioski to settle in Leeds, the Swiss – who is Leeds’ longest-serving first-team player alongside Liam Cooper – told the Whites’ official Facebook page: “Yeah he started to text me before to come here, just to ask some things about Leeds.

Ezgjan Alioski of Leeds United celebrates after scoring the second goal during Sky Bet Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Leeds United at City Ground on August 26, 2017 in...

“When he came here I just told him a lot of good things to do in the city. He was very happy to come here.”

Alioski has made a bright start to his Leeds career, scoring one goal and assisting another two in seven Championship outings.

Although having said that, he could face a battle to start against Ipswich Town on Saturday, having been replaced at half-time in last weekend’s defeat at Millwall.

Albania's Taulant Xhaka (R) vies with Macedonia's Egzijan Alioski (L) during the World Cup 2018 qualifier football match Albania vs Macedonia in Loro Borici stadium in the city of Shkoder...

The 25-year-old was one of Lugano’s standout performers as they finished third in the standings last season, contributing directly towards 30 of their 52 league strikes.

Should Alioski start for Leeds against Ipswich?