Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic confessed that he is uncertain how he will react when he is reunited with Fiorentina's fans at the Stadio Artemio Franchi next week.
Vlahovic left the Viola for Juve in a messy switch in January, leaving many fans in Florence disgruntled at the manner of his exit.
Wednesday will be his first meeting with his former employers, who host Juve in the Coppa Italia semi-final.
What was said?
“Well… I don’t know what to say. My feelings are a bit mixed," he admitted to DAZN following Juventus' 3-2 defeat of Empoli.
"We’ll go there, it’s a football match, that’s all I can say.
"I have always said that I thank Fiorentina for all the wonderful years there, they will always be a part of me. It’s a bit strange.”
On the right track
Vlahovic has made an impressive start at Juve, with his double against Empoli bringing him to three Serie A goals in four appearances since switching clubs and 17 overall this season.
Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri for one is delighted to see the forward settle so quickly in Turin.
“Vlahovic is an important player, he has character as well as quality and has the kind of characteristics we didn’t have in the squad,” Allegri told DAZN.
“You could tell straight away this lad has character, wants to win and is eager to learn. He moved a lot more today, didn’t just stay central, and that was a big advantage for him and for Juventus.”
Allegri, however, stopped short of comparing Vlahovic to Juve's previous sharpshooter, Cristiano Ronaldo: “I don’t think you can compare them, the previous No.7 won the Ballon d’Or four times, whereas Vlahovic is at the beginning of his career.
"A good game isn’t enough, you need immense mental strength and he is at the start of his journey."
