Juventus can make me a winner.
Weston McKennie spoke with ESPN on his first months in Turin.
My experience [at Juventus] is going well, they are helping me so much to acclimatize. The first day was nice: going into the locker room was strange but then I saw them and thought 'oh my God, I can learn so much from these guys'".
Why Juventus?
In general I can say that my dream was to go to the Premier League but when Juventus called me, with these players, with this staff, with Pirlo on the bench, they immediately intrigued me. A club that wins is a great challenge, they have top players, it's perfect for my goals. I want to win and write the history of the club, as tradition and support Juventus are one of the most interesting clubs.
How would you describe yourself as a footballer?
A box-to-box, I like to dribble, do tackles. They compare me to Vidal, to Gattuso, to players like that.
Differences Bundesliga and Serie A?
Here it's tactical, in Germany as well but here even more so. At Juventus I have to do my job, I don't have to do more than what I have to do, there are stars. At Schalke I played in more positions, sometimes I had to do more things with the ball. Here one, two, three touches, then I have to pass to my team mate. You don't have to worry about overdoing it here.
How is Ronaldo?
"t is an honor to play with him. I remember the first time I saw him, I said "Okay, Weston, take it easy'" He's a genuine guy, he is straight to the point. We also joke around, he calls me 'Texas Boy'. He could be a snob but he's not, he helps and supports you regardless of your age or career
How is it to be coached by Pirlo?
I have nothing to complain about, it was one of the reasons why I came to Juventus, it intrigued me so much. I was fascinated by the possibility of being coached by someone like Pirlo, someone who played like him. Now he is my coach and it's great. We have been in quarantine all together and I must say that we have been with pleasure together, despite the period and the situation.
When you play with players who have these careers, have this experience, it leads you to be better. I am not jealous of others, whether they are in my position or not. I am ambitious , they give us advice, it is important to me.
Most used Italian words?
The phrase I use most is "Ho Fame" (=I'm hungry) because it's the truth.
Source: ESPN (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDx9v_Qnmg&t=609s)