Following Udinese’s fantastic home win over Roma forward Keinan Davis appeared on Udinese Tonight. Here’s what the 27-year-old had to say about his injury, Udinese’s squad this season and his fantastic personal campaign, among other topics:
"I'm happy to be here on the show after a great win. The injury isn’t as serious as I’d expected, and fortunately it's not one that I've had before. I'll be out of action for a month. The tears came from the pain I was feeling at the time and because I was very disappointed to have to miss matches during a period when I felt like I’d really hit form. I find it really hard being out of action because I won’t be able to help the team and bring joy to the fans.
"What you're seeing this season is the best version of me in my career. The support from my team-mates, the coach and the fans helps me a lot - I feel great. In the summer, I followed an individual programme before we did pre-season. That was very important, as was the coach's belief in me, which has meant I’ve been able to play a lot this season. After [Lorenzo] Lucca left we needed a striker we could rely on for goals, and the boss chose me.
"I'm among the three best strikers in Serie A, but I'd put myself third, after Lautaro [Martinez] and Christian Pulisic. I’m similar [to Romelu Lukaku]. He's a world-class player and it's an honour to be compared to him.
“This season we're even more of a team. The chemistry between everyone is excellent both on and off the pitch, and I think this translates in our performances in games. We've beaten several big teams and that’s achievable when you’ve got a strong unit.
"[Maduka] Okoye is a top-class goalkeeper - just look at his performances last season and the season before that. He missed the first few months of the campaign and we felt his absence. We saw how good he is against Roma. The same goes for [Kingsley] Ehizibue – it’s a tough ask to go into the starting line-up having not played a lot and perform so well in an important match. We know he's a top player and he’s always got the right mentality.
“We can’t perform well in every match – sometimes you’ve just got to focus on getting a result. We're always trying to play better and we know we’ve got what it takes, but in the end what matters in football is the final result. In recent matches, we've managed to both play well and get results.
"I immediately felt welcome in Udine. The fans have always been very kind to me when I meet them. I don't like social media and I don't like being the centre of attention, but when fans stop me in the street I really appreciate their affection and politeness.
“I take Italian lessons alongside [Jurgen] Ekkelenkamp. He’s better than me, but I’ve missed a lot of lessons because I have a daughter, so I’m very busy. The food here in Italy is good, but I prefer English food.
“I want to go as far as a I can, score as many goals as possible and help the team as much as I can. I’d love to play for my country, but as there are so many good forwards it would be a challenge to get in the squad.”