Florian Lejeune is playing in a special match tonight, as his current club Alavés are visiting his former side Eibar in La Liga.
The 29-year-old is currently having a loan spell from Newcastle United in his home country, and his return is highlighted in a good interview with Marca today.
Lejeune talked about the reason he’s at Alavés on a loan spell, and how happy he’s been in his first months at the club.
“The most important thing for me was to regain the confidence of the coach, enjoy continuity on the pitch and feel happy,” Lejeune told Marca.
“When a coach like Machín calls you, it’s always more important to make the decision to come to Alavés. I’m very happy to be back in Spanish football and things are going well for the moment. Hopefully they continue like this all season.”
Regarding his experience in the Premier League, Lejeune sent big praise to former Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez, who played a big part in his adaptation to English football, and seemed quite gutted that the manager is no longer in charge of the club.
“The Premier League is very different from La Liga. It’s a more physical football and the rhythm is also higher. I learned a lot with Rafa Benitez. He was the person who signed me. He made me grow tactically and physically. Now I think more about things in games. Benitez had crazy experience and I absorbed everything he said to me.
“The first season was pretty good. It was strained the entire second year when I suffered a serious knee injury. Rafa always gave me confidence, I was able to play fast again and then I was unlucky enough to break my other knee. I had to recover, work hard to get back and when I returned Benitez was gone. On a personal level, you learn a lot in situations like this.”
Lejeune joined the Magpies in a €10m move from Eibar in 2017, and made only 46 appearances for the club in those three seasons. His loan spell at Alavés expires in 2021, and then he has another year of contract with Newcastle.
