Here’s what U20 player Edoardo Sturli had to say at the end of the open training session at Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park on Sunday afternoon.

Mevale Kone said that you were one of the players that impressed him the most towards the end of last season. Would you say that you’ve improved?

“First of all, I’d like to thank Kone for his kind words. We know each other very well, we’re pretty much best friends. I struggled a bit at the start of last season. But then, as the months went by and with the help of coach [Daniele] Galloppa and my team-mates, I performed better in the final part of the season. I hope I made a positive contribution that helped the team win the league title, which is what matters most.”

Now you have a new, very experienced coach. How are these first days of training going?

“Our new coach has had an outstanding career. Just by listening to him, we can tell that he’s an extraordinary person. He’s already given us very valuable advice. Hopefully we can we can replicate last season’s success.”

How did it feel to train together with the first team?

“It’s a completely different world. We all want to experience these things. I, like others in the team, grew up close to Florence, so training together with Fiorentina is a unique privilege for all of us. Fo me, training with them feels like a huge achievement.”