Udinese defender William Troost-Ekong targets Sampdoria scalp

William Troost-Ekong has highlighted the importance of Sunday's Serie A meeting between Udinese and Sampdoria at the Dacia Arena.

Two days after joining the Little Zebras from Bursaspor, the Nigeria international made his Serie A bow in a 2-2 draw against Parma.

With Udinese looking for their first win of the season, the 24-year-old is confident of improved performances from his teammates and aims to get the maximum points on his home debut.

“I had only one training session with Udinese before I made my debut against Parma, but we all improved in the second half. It’s just the beginning and we are getting to know each other," Troost-Ekong was quoted as saying by Football Italia.

“Now it’ll be very important to start with a home win against Sampdoria on Sunday. Serie A is very competitive and the level really is high throughout.”

The former Tottenham player was born and raised in the Netherlands where he represented the European country at the U19 and U20 levels before switching allegiance to Nigeria in 2015.

However, Troost-Ekong – a regular fixture in Gernot Rohr's team - is hoping to learn Italian in an effort to aid his communication with his new teammates on the field.

“I am very happy to be at a club like Udinese and in an important league like Serie A. I hope to learn Italian as soon as possible,” he added.

"I have always been seen as a leader in every team I played for. I am someone who talks a lot on the pitch, as I have to organise the defence, and that is something that comes naturally to me. This is why I think it’s important for me to learn the language quickly."