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Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has described his move to Newcastle United as a “mistake” and surprised nobody by admitting he preferred to play at centre-half.

At his official unveiling as a Roma player, the loaned-out Newcastle United man spoke of his excitement at joining one of the biggest clubs in Italy.

Describing his move to Newcastle as a “mistake”, the 25-year-old said wants to win trophies, rebuild his career and most of all play in the role where he made his name as a title-winning captain of Montpellier.

Yanga Mbiwa said: “My spell in England wasn’t a success. They don’t see things in the same way, it’s a lot more physical over there.

“Things are different here in Italy. They play more football. The Italian league is very similar to Ligue 1. I will try to show that my time in England was simply a mistake.

“I’ll do whatever the team and coach need me to. We definitely have a great squad and we’ll do everything we can to achieve success.

“I can also play on the right and am happy to do so, but my preferred position is centre back.”

The Frenchman’s time at Newcastle was brought to an end on Monday when the club loaned him to Roma after spending all summer trying to shift him back to France without success.

Yanga-Mbiwa had arguably become a better player during his absences from the team with fans choosing to forget that he made too many mistakes, especially when he was put out to full-back where he struggled badly.

But while Newcastle are short at the back, the defender deemed surplus to requirements finds himself in Roma with a chance to reinvent himself.

Yanga-Mbiwa said: “I am very happy to be here at Roma. I want to try to be competitive and add something to this squad. The coach (Remy Garcia) knows me well and I hope I can offer a lot to the team.

“The coach knew me when I played in France and won the title with Montpellier. He was one of the best coaches in Ligue 1.

“He saw what I can do back then and he knows what I can bring to the table. I will fight both in training and games to earn a starting berth.

“He was the first one to contact me. He convinced me to come here to win the Scudetto. I’m keen to win trophies and achieve success and that’s what brought me here.”

Yanga-Mbiwa has probably played his last game for Newcastle and is now solely concentrating on making a name for himself in Italy.

He said: “I hope to be back to full fitness in time for the next game. I need to work hard in the coming training sessions so I’m available for selection.

“Roma are a side that are aiming for the top of the standings. I have to give my all on the field and if I start playing regularly again I can get back into the French national team.”