El Aynaoui: “I wish I could play like Nainggolan for Roma.” | OneFootball

Neil El Aynaoui discussed his arrival to the Italian capital in a new interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

When asked about the team’s preseason preparations, the midfielder said, “We’ve worked really well, with intensity. Now we have a few days to recover some energy and start again at Trigoria on Wednesday in preparation for the start of the season.”

“I don’t have a favorite position. Gasperini put me a bit more advanced, and that’s fine; I play wherever I’m needed. As a kid, I started out as a striker, which gave me a knack for scoring goals, then at 15 I moved to midfield. I feel like a modern midfielder, capable of playing in both areas: generous and capable of covering multiple areas.”

“Nainggolan? For me, even just being compared to him is a huge compliment. He’s a player who made history. I wish I could repeat his feats.”

“Gasperini’s instructions? Playing the ball, pressing, but also defending proactively, attacking. There’s still a lot I need to improve on, but even at Lens I played with a similar style: the jump isn’t that big.”