Sampdoria midfielder Fernando has praised Mircea Lucescu, his former coach at Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, for advising him on his move to Italy.
The 23-year-old Brazilian international has been content with his move to the Doriani this summer and he pointed out that Lucescu’s coaching experience in Serie A helped him on his decision to come to the Italian peninsula.
“It has been about a month since I have been here, including the pre-season phase and the training sessions here at Bogliasco. I am happy to be a part of Sampdoria,” Fernando told Samp TV.
“I hope to play in big games right away, even if I still have to acclimatise myself a bit but I want to help the squad quickly,” he added.
“Lucescu told me that coming to Sampdoria would have been a good opportunity for me because Italian football is suited to my characteristics.
“He supported me in this choice. I can say that he was an important person in the course of my career because he helped me a lot in the period at Shakhtar in which I didn’t play and I was a bit disappointed with this situation.
“He told me of his experiences in Brescia first and then Inter and I am very grateful for being here today.”
