BUFF & READY
New Killie keeper can be a hit after learning at Juve from icon Gianluigi
KILMARNOCK keeper Laurentiu Branescu may be on loan from The Old Lady.
But the Juventus player learned everything about goalkeeping from the daddy of them all – Gianluigi Buffon.
Branescu reckons the Italian World Cup winner is the best there has ever been between the sticks.
The 25-year-old was Buffon’s understudy from 2012 to 2014 when Angelo Alessio was assistant to Juve boss Antonio Conte.
Having joined Killie on loan from the Italians, Branescu has vowed to tap into all that experience as he competes for the gloves with Jamie MacDonald.
Although the Romanian insists he hasn’t swapped BY ANTHONY HAGGERTY the Italian capital for Ayrshire to sit on the bench next to Alessio.
He said: “When I was young I was training with the first team when Antonio Conte came and I was on the bench a few times.
“It was a fantastic experience to train with the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon.
“Buffon was incredible and for me he is the best keeper there has ever been. He has such motivation to be successful in his career. “His concentration levels were incredible. “The only one who is like him is Iker Casillas – but Buffon is the best.
“He made a generation of young keepers want to be just like him.
“He hasn’t won the Champions League but there have been lots of great players who haven’t – like the Brazilian Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “Buffon has won the World Cup and for me that is the most important thing. “It wasn’t just me he helped as he was fantastic for everyone.”
Branescu hopes to make his debut at the Belle Vue Stadium in Rhyl against Connah’s Quay Nomads in the Europa League first qualifying round tomorrow.
But the keeper won’t take anything for granted in the battle for a start with MacDonald.
Branescu said: “I don’t want to sit on the bench with Kilmarnock and neither does Jamie.
“We don’t know yet who will play in Wales. It will be a good challenge between the two of us about who will play.”
Killie, meanwhile, have also signed 32-year-old Dutch midfielder Mohamed El Makrini on a one-year deal.