New Tottenham signing Ivan Perisic has settled into life in north London rather quickly following his summer transfer from Inter Milan. With his contract at the San Siro coming to an end, Antonio Conte and Spurs moved to secure a deal for the experienced player.
Arriving at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium carrying a calf injury after sustaining the issue in his final appearance for the Nerazzurri, Perisic stepped up his fitness in the pre-season games against Rangers and Roma and duly caught the eye. Only linking up with his new teammates just over a month ago, the 33-year-old already feels like he has been in the dressing room for a number of years.
"It has been amazing, Everything has been really positive," he said in the club's matchday programme for the Southampton game. "Really. I've found myself in the dressing room like I've been here for five years already. The group is amazing. A lot of nice guys and quality players. They've helped me a lot from the first day. I'm really enjoying it."
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Conte has admitted in press conferences that his player is still not fully fit following his injury, but Perisic, who started on the bench vs Southampton, is happy with his recent progress and his pre-season game time.
"In my first few days here, I was injured from my last game at Internazionale, and it took me seven or eight weeks (to recover)"' he added. "Muscle injuries are frustrating. I've broken a few things before like my shoulder and ankle but with a muscle injury, you have to be sure that you rehabilitate well because, if you come back early, it can become worse later down the line.
"It was my first injury of this kind, but I had a good rehabilitation period in the summer. I was very focused on it as I just wanted to come back to the level I was before and to be strong again.
"And in the last two weeks, I've been training as normal with the team. Then to play against Rangers after two months out, it was amazing. That half an hour helped me a lot, mentally more than physically. I think we did a great job with my guys in the summer, now everything is great, and I can't wait to play again!"
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