Llorente: I needed time

Fernando Llorente has defended the cautious way in which he has been used by boss Antonio Conte following his arrival at Juventus.

The striker had only been fielded as a very late substitute in one of the club’s first five official games of the season.

However, he was thrown into the starting XI against Verona on Sunday and celebrated his debut at the Juventus Stadium with a headed goal.

“I normally take a bit of time to hit form and knew I’d have to work a great deal, also because I pretty much missed the whole of last season,” said the Bosman signing from Athletic Bilbao.

“In addition I needed to settle in and learn the language – and adapting to a new environment is never an easy task for anyone.

“I’m getting on great here and feel the Coach has faith in me, but I know I need to keep working to get back into peak condition.”

The 28-year-old’s strike proved to be the winner after Carlos Tevez had cancelled out Verona’s shock advantage.

“I didn’t expect to net on my debut,” added the Spaniard. “I’m happy about scoring and contributing to the team’s victory.”

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