Everton defender Djibril Sidibe says he is gradually getting used to life in England and explained why he opted against living in Liverpool.
The right-back moved to Goodison Park from Monaco on a season-long loan in the summer, with Everton having an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
Sidibe began 2019/20 outside Marco Silva’s starting XI but has forced his way into the line-up in recent weeks, appearing from the first whistle against Tottenham and Southampton.
And the Frenchman has opened up on the adaptation process both on and off the pitch in an interview with L’Est Eclair.
“It’s going well, I’m acclimatising bit by bit,” he said. “I needed a bit of time, which is completely normal, especially since the Premier League is different. It’s an excellent league, probably the best in the world, with a lot of intensity.
“I live near Manchester, like the majority of players at Liverpool and Everton. Why? Let’s say Liverpool is a bit of a sad town that went through some suffering in the past.
“My kids go to an international school. They’re getting used to it too. As for my English, the club have a teacher there that we can go see every day, so when I have time, I go to class to get up to date”.
Sidibe won the Ligue 1 title at Monaco in 2016/17 and featured in European competition in each of his three seasons in the principality.
The defender jumped at the chance to move to the Premier League, however, following in the footsteps of former Monaco team-mates Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho – although he admits he is still struggling to adapt to the weather in the northwest of England.
“There’s a reason they’re there. But you’re right, when you leave the Mediterranean sun for Liverpool’s rain, it hits you hard. It’s not easy every day, but you make do with it. I already got a taste of it when I was at Lille.
“Here, in the north of England, it really rains all the time. From morning to evening. It’s part of my new life; even though I wouldn’t mind a ray of sunshine from time to time, I don’t mind it.
“As I said, I know why I crossed the Channel. It’s for other reasons in England. I’ll have other life pleasures. The career of a footballer is short, so you need to know when to take good challenges”.
Everton will host Norwich when the Premier League resumes after the international break this weekend.
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