Verona is famous for Romeo and Juliet. For Josh Doig, his Serie A move has been a case of love at first sight.
The 20-year-old swapped Hibs for Hellas Verona in the summer and it is fair to say it has turned out to be something of a love-in on both sides. Left-backs have become hip in the Italian top flight of late. Doig is now following in the footsteps of Aaron Hickey, who impressed at Bologna before he made his move to Brentford in England’s Premier League.
“It has been good,” said the former Easter Road defender. “Everything is different from the football to the culture. It is all very different to Scotland. It took me a month or two to get used to everything but since then I have been loving life in Italy. I wanted a change. I want to travel and see different places and football can give you that platform to do so.
“It has been amazing coming to Verona, a great city, and Serie A, which has also been brilliant. I am loving everything over here.”
The young boy from the capital is getting plenty of culture in his new home. Famed for its Arena and the Romeo and Juliet balcony.
Doig said: “I’ve moved over with my girlfriend Molly. The club has helped her move to a fashion school so she is loving life out here as well.
“It has been a big change but we have both adapted and we are loving it. I feel bad because we haven’t had a lot of time outwith the football, it has been intense. We haven’t done many of the tourist things yet, although we did get to the opera.”
The Scot headed to New York and then back home for a few days in the recent break but now he is back in training and looking to pick up with Verona where he left off before the World Cup.
The highlight for Doig was netting on his debut against Sampdoria, made even more special because it turned out to be a special birthday present.
He followed it up with another against Udinese after a rather barren spell at Easter Road and has also chipped in with a few assists.
“My first goal has been the biggest moment for me so far,” the Scotland U21 cap said. “My family was over and it was my dad’s birthday so to score my first goal in my first start at home was just amazing.
“The fact we won also made it even better. I also scored against Udinese and we also played Juventus but the standout was getting the goal and celebrating in front of my family just made it even more special.
“I don’t think my dad actually came out to Italy with much hope that I would score, after I failed to score for Hibs last season. It was still maybe more of a shock for me than him.”
Italian football can be cut-throat and Doig is already on to his second coach. Ex-Crawley boss Gabrielle Cioffi departed and has since been replaced by Salvatore Bocchetti.
The good thing is they both spoke fluent English as do most of the Hellas squad and that has helped Doig to settle in quickly at the Stadio Bentegodi.
He said: “The good thing is that 90 per cent have some form of spoken English and so I am able to have a conversation with most of them.
“There are two other boys, a Swede [Isak Hien] and an Australian [Ajdin Hrustic], and they are in the same position because they only speak English. All the boys have been really welcoming.
“Even the boys who don’t understand English speak away to you even though they have no clue what I’m saying. I am learning Italian and I have a couple of lessons a week.
“It feels like being back at school at times but it is something I need to do. I have picked up a wee bit here and there, enough to get by but I need to keep at it.”
Such has been the impact that Doig has made in his first few months that he has already been linked with a big-money move to Napoli. It is nothing new for the youngster who has had to put up with a lot of speculation in recent windows since bursting on to the scene at Easter Road.
“My pals were sending me stuff when I was linked with Napoli,” Doig said. “It was the same in recent years at Hibs. It is maybe because I am young and if I am doing okay then there are a few rumours. I just want to help Verona to do well.”
Doig has won more than a few admirers in his short time in the ‘city of love’. He wants to keep that going by ensuring his first season at Verona, currently bottom of Serie A, ends in triumph rather than tragedy.
He said: “I have never been in this position battling at the bottom of the league. We need to try to raise the bar in the second half of the season.”
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