Former Black Stars skipper Stephen Appiah has spoken out for the first time on the progress of Kwadwo Asamoah at his former club Juventus.
The former Liberty Professionals midfielder was signed by the Turin-based club for a transfer fee in the region of £15 million from Udinese but has struggled to hold down a starting place in the team since Massimiliano Allegri took charge of the team.
Asamoah missed out on the 2015 Afcon in Equatorial Guinea due to surgery which ruled him out for 3 months after he tore a cartilage in his left knee.
In an interview with Citi Sports, Appiah insisted that featuring regularly for the first team of Juventus in his first two seasons was evidence of Asamoah’s quality.
“Kwadwo is doing well because it isn’t easy to play for a club like Juventus,while getting regular playing minutes. “Sometimes players drop to the bench but that doesn’t mean that they are bad players.
“Due to the high level of competition there are times when players who are competent enough to be in the starting eleven have to settle for being on the bench but that doesn’t mean they are bad players,” he said.
Asamoah has struggled to hold a place in the starting team especially in his favoured central midfield role since the emergence of Paul Pogba.
The signing of veteran left back Patrice Evra from Manchester United has not helped issues either, as Asamoah has found it difficult to take advantage in his new role as left wing back. Stephen Appiah further went on to comment about temperament indicating that Asamoah’s reserved nature as a person is often misunderstood.
“I think its all about character because when you see players like Drogba its not all about what takes place on the pitch but you also realize how he interacts with the fans and this sets him apart,” he added.
Kwadwo Asamoah has fully recovered following his surgery and is expected to join Juventus ahead of their pre-season tour.
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By: Benjamin Nketsia/citifmonline.com/Ghana