Fernando Llorente has revealed how important Antonio Conte was in his decision to sign for Juventus.
The Spanish international moved to Turin in the summer on a Bosman free transfer after his contract at Athletic Bilbao expired.
After initially struggling for action, the centre-forward is now appearing with much more regularity for the Old Lady.
“I’m happy to be playing for this club,” he told beIN Sport. “It is a great one who believed in me and that was the most important thing.
“Before arriving I regularly spoke with Conte and his belief in me pushed me to sign for Juventus.
“It was difficult at the start for me to settle in Italy. This was a new club, a new language – everything was tough.
“But I feel much better and I want to demonstrate what I can do.”
Conte had insisted that his reluctance in using the player at the start of 2013-14 was because Llorente needed time to rediscover his form.
“I wasn’t lying when I said that we needed to be patient and wait for Llorente to return to the player he was before,” the tactician stated to beIN Sport.
“Last season was difficult for him as a footballer and professionally because he wasn’t treated well at Atheltic Bilbao. He hardly played.
“He also needed time to become familiar with our system and the intensity of our training sessions.”
Llorente has two goals in eight appearances for the Bianconeri so far this term.
