Leicester Mercury

BATTLE FOR PLACES HOTS UP

Under a threat to Perez?

- By JORDAN BLACKWELL jordan.blackwell@reachplc.com @jrdnblackw­ell leicesterm­ercury.co.uk/sport

CENGIZ Under may be the new face at Leicester City but he already knows the club inside out.

The loan arrival from Roma will team up with his best friend Caglar Soyuncu at the King Power Stadium, the pair coming through the ranks at Turkish club Altinordu together.

Having followed the centreback’s career while he was in Italy, Under is confident he knows his new team-mates’ strengths, even before he’s kicked a ball with them.

That could help Under as Brendan Rodgers looks to the 23-year-old winger to provide chances for his squad.

“I feel very good because my best friend plays for Leicester City,” Under told the club.

“I am very happy to be able to play with Caglar and I always watched Leicester’s games because of him.

“I know all the players, their strengths and capabiliti­es. I can’t wait to go to Leicester and start training.

“We had a dream when we were kids to play in Europe together.

“That dream is now coming true with Leicester. I am so happy for this and I hope everything will be very good.

“In the Premier League last year, he played extraordin­arily, and he also showed this to the whole world.

“It’s really good to watch him play as a central defender and he’s always consistent and always building up his performanc­es.”

Under arrives on loan initially but City have an option to buy the Turkey internatio­nal for £22 million if he impresses.

He had a stop-start season with Roma last term, but was regarded as one of the hottest prospects around when he first moved to the Italian capital and hit the ground running.

“That was my first experience in Europe [with Roma],” Under said. “When I first went there, I played very well. I proved myself in attacking areas and I always had the confidence.

“I want to show that confidence by coming to Leicester also.

“Roma has a special place in my heart because I learned so much, tactically, but I am now opening a new page in my life.

“I’ve always wanted to play in England. I just want to concentrat­e on playing in the Premier League now. I think I am fast and can create lots of chances for my colleagues.

“I believe that I played very good in the games that I played and I created lots of chances for my team-mates.

“The most important thing is that I know all the Leicester players’ strengths.

“The style and philosophy in Italy, it was hard to get the ball, but in England, it’s different.

“I believe that I will do better in England with the ball. I will try to help my teammates on the pitch and off the pitch and I believe that I can improve my performanc­e every day.”

With City competing in four competitio­ns, Under will get plenty of opportunit­ies to show off his talents.

He comes in with plenty of experience in Europe too, having reached the Champions League semifinals with Roma, and he believes City have what it takes to fare well in the Europa League.

He said: “I will play in the Europa League with Leicester and I believe we will do lots of good things in Europe. Leicester City’s squad is very young and dynamic, and I think we can do well in the Europa League.

“I believe that I have plenty of experience for both the national team and in Europe.

“To play at such a young age, I always had good confidence in myself and that is a key factor.

“I have played in big matches in Italy for many years, so hopefully I can have a big impact at Leicester.”

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