Fulham of England summer singing, Samuel Chukwueze has sent words of appreciation to his Nigerian compatriots – Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey – for helping him settle down quickly at the English Premier League club.
Sports247 reports that Chukwueze gained his first start for The Cottagers in Saturday’s shock 2-1 win away to Tottenham Hotspur and he got a fourth minute assist on Fulham’s first goal during the London derby.
The product of Diamond Football Academy of Umuahia, who previously played for Villarreal of Spain and AC Milan of Italy, was replaced in the 81st minute of the game, but his performance had been good enough to see him named as man of the match.
Chukwueze has now reflected on the build-up of events and cumulative factors that led to his historic moment in the EPL, which he believes came through his ability to keep working hard at a point when things were not looking easy for him at Craven Cottage.
The Super Eagles’ star retorted, “I was not expecting it, but I kept up my hard work, stayed fully focused and continued training well.
“Last month was very difficult and somehow upside down, but I kept my head up and continued working hard. So, I was eventually able to take my chance and use it well.”
The fair-skinned left-footed winger, who prefers playing on the right side of attack, then mentioned the roles played by Iwobi and Bassey in helping him feel comfortable at Fulham, whose fellow-London-based rivals, Arsenal he almost joined after helping Nigeria win the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile.
“They are the ones that always push me hard in training. They also encourage me and inspire me by saying, ‘Keep your head up and keep on working. Your time is going to come ‘
“They motivate me a lot, and they are the ones that made me to be here in the first place. So, I’m very grateful to them,” Chukwueze eulogised.
Sports247 gathered further that, while all three Nigerians started Saturday’s match, Iwobi was replaced in the 87th minute and Bassey was on for the entire duration of their historic away victory.
