Aston Villa star Anwar El Ghazi opened up about his first season in England and explained the reasons for his early struggles.
The former Ajax attacker admits he underestimated the physicality of the English game despite advice from his friends who have had experience in the league before.
Speaking to Villa’s official YouTube channel, El Ghazi said: “I spoke with other football players, Jose Font, Bruno Martins Indi, Ibrahim Afellay and they all told me it’s going to be very tough. I was thinking, you know, I’ve played Champions League, I’ve played against big teams, it wouldn’t be so hard.”
The 24-year-old quickly found out about the brutal nature of the Championship and he revealed that he ended up with scratches on his arm after every game.
El Ghazi admitted that he is used to that and said that he is ‘really enjoying it now.’
When asked about how he would rate his loan spell at the club this season, he said: “That’s a hard question. I think I would give me 6.5. I didn’t show the real El Ghazi yet I think I can be much better. At the beginning, I wasn’t at my best but now I think I’m showing myself. I try to help the team and try to be important for the team. I think now it’s getting better, but if we look at the whole season until now I think 6.5 is right.”
El Ghazi is expected to start the play-off final against Derby County at the weekend and, if he can come up with as good a performance as the one against West Brom, Villa’s chances of promotion will massively increase.
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