Chelsea defender David Luiz has joined fellow Brazilian teammate Willian in claiming that the departure of Antonio Conte was a big influence in him staying at the club.
Luiz fell out of favour with Conte and, despite the Italian regularly playing with three central defenders, he only managed 10 Premier League appearances last season – 17 overall.
However, since Maurizio Sarri replaced Conte over the summer, Luiz has found himself back in the starting line-up for Chelsea and has played in all the of the Blues’ Premier League games so far.
And, speaking to Sky Sports (via Daily Mail), Luiz has admitted how “amazing” it is to be playing again.
He said: “It is amazing to play football, of course, last season was not the best for me inside the pitch, but also I learned a lot outside the pitch as a person, as a man.
“Sometimes you have to be patient, sometimes you have to take care of your body, sometimes you have to learn from outside to be good in the future.
“I got time to take care of my body; many times I was on the pitch in pain, and I never refused to play one game. It was good to rest and be fresh.
“If the manager had stayed the same, of course, everybody knows maybe I would have had to move clubs. Now I am here and so happy.”
Earlier this month, Luiz’s fellow Brazilian international Willian had also admitted he would no longer be at the club if Conte was still in charge, stating: “I’m here. I’m here because I want to play for Chelsea. I will only leave if Chelsea want me to go.”
Asked if he would still be at the club if Conte hadn’t left, Willian said: “No chance. No chance. No.”
Chelsea’s new manager, Maurizio Sarri, has enjoyed a strong start to life at Stamford Bridge, winning all three of his Premier League games at the club so far.
The Blues take on Bournemouth in their next game on Saturday.
The post David Luiz echoes Willian claiming Chelsea stay was influenced by Conte departure appeared first on Squawka News.
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