Blaise Matuidi says he is adapting well to Italian football after finally making a switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Juventus.
France midfielder Matuidi joined Serie A champions Juve late in the transfer window, having been deemed surplus to requirements at PSG, where he spent six trophy-laden years.
The 30-year-old has already become an integral part of Massimiliano Allegri's set-up, appearing in every one of Juve's Serie A fixtures so far.
Matuidi put in another impressive display in the emphatic 4-0 win in the Turin derby on Saturday, and was keen to express his delight at having settled in at the Allianz Stadium - revealing that his move to Juve could have happened a year earlier.
"I had already been in contact with Juventus the previous year, but for various reasons the transfer didn't happen," Matuidi told Sky Sport Italia.
"As they say, better late than never. Now I am here, I'm very happy and I hope to stay for a long time.
"Choosing to come here was natural, Juventus is a world-class club and a team that has won so much and still has so much left to win.
"My international team-mates had spoken to me a lot about it, like [Patrice] Evra and [Paul] Pogba.
"I am adapting well, I have been welcomed in the best possible way and I am proud to be a part of this group.
"I already knew a little Italian and that made everything easier in terms of understanding the coach's orders and my team-mates' advice."
While Matuidi has been typically assured in his handful of matches as a Juve player, his performances have gone under the radar somewhat, with Paulo Dybala currently setting Serie A alight.
Dybala has been in scintillating form so far this campaign, and his double against Torino took the 23-year-old onto 10 goals for the season from the opening six league matches.
goals for our in September 23, 2017
And Matuidi has no doubt that the Argentine is proving himself to be one of the world's elite players.
"Dybala is a great player, one of the best in the world," Matuidi added.
"We are lucky to have such an exceptional team-mate. Hopefully he can carry on in this way."
