Kenya striker Michael Olunga has opened up on why he struggled to find his footing at Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol after joining from Spanish club Gerona two years ago.
The striker has turned out to be a key performer for the team and a regular goalscorer.
The 26-year-old revealed he had to take some time and adapt before getting his chances at the club.
"When I came to Japan in 2018 it was in the middle of Kashiwa Reysol’s season and they weren’t performing so well," Olunga is quoted by Fifa website.
"I tried to fit into the team, but I didn’t play so much and I only scored three goals, so it took me a little bit of time to adapt, but in my second year the new coach [Nelsinho Baptista] came and I started for the team in pre-season."
The former Gor Mahia player also spoke about the improvements he had to make to have an impact at his new side.
"I attribute the success to hard work, staying focused even when you think you are losing everything. At the end of the day, it’s about believing you are capable of achieving great things," he added.
"There are many great players in the world, but with confidence, which I think is the most important aspect of a player, when you have it, you do wonders on the pitch."
The striker scored eight goals as his side defeated Kyoto Sanga 13-1 in their final J2 game of the season played at Sankyo Frontier Stadium to get promoted to the top tier.
The Harambee Stars forward has revealed what he had planned to achieve on that day.
"I had come back from playing for the national team and it was the last game of the season," he added.
"Honestly, I didn’t expect to score eight goals in that game. My target was to score a hat-trick because I was fourth in the goal-scoring chart with 19 goals.
"I knew I had to do something special because scoring a hat-trick isn’t just any other thing that happens in football.
"I had already achieved my target in the first half and I knew I had 45 minutes to try something which seemed impossible.
"I went out there in the second half and gave it a good shot. I think it was the perfect way to end the 2019 season."
