"I still follow and support Newcastle United as it’s a team close to my heart. I worked with Rafa Benitez in Inter Milan when I was younger, he is a great guy. And I think will do very well managing Newcastle through to this next phase. I wish them all the best. Newcastle was one of the best experiences of my career, I loved the city, the fans and the club. My girlfriend is from there and so I still visit regularly too. The 2011/12 campaign is very memorable for me, we were a very strong team with a lot of great players. We were so close to the fourth position and the Champions League in the Premier League and managed to get to Europa League!
"I’m enjoying playing for my new team AS Roma, the fans are very passionate and always create a great atmosphere. Life in Rome? Well the weather is a little better than Newcastle that’s for sure! My family have settled very well here and we are happy. You face a new challenge in every training session and in every game. You never stop learning. It’s a few weeks I have known Ranieri and things are going well. He has great experience - winning the title with Leicester for one! So I’m looking forward to following his lead and hopefully finishing with a Champions League position this year!"