Does he think that Roma have players who can play the football he wants to play?

“He was very complimentary about the squad we have, in particular many of the young players. He fully admits that it’s going to take some time for the players to adapt to his methods – and for him to learn more about our players.

“One thing he did stress, and he brought his lead performance coach to the meeting, was the importance of the players being in the best possible shape. It’s something I felt we had built but didn’t take advantage of in the last couple of years. To play with such high intensity, the players have to train every day in a very intelligent manner. Last season, I don’t think the players were in great shape – and most of the time that wasn’t the players’ fault - and it resulted in an inordinate amount of injuries.

"We have already started to change our performance programme and we - including Paulo and his team - are completely on the same page. It was evident on the first day that we both have a lot to offer each other in terms of training capabilities.”

What impressed you the most about the coach?

“I was very happy with how he spoke about how he and his coaches will work with players individually, trying to improve both veteran players and also young players on a daily basis. This was very important to him. At the same time, we need players who want to learn and improve themselves and realise that they can always get better.

“If players want to learn and improve then he wants to help them – and he said that this was something he did a lot at Shakhtar, staying behind after training to work on different things with different players. I know for a fact that last season some of our players, who maybe didn’t play every week, felt like they weren’t learning or progressing because no one was there to help them. This was something that he was very passionate about and so am I.

"If players want to improve, and they want to stay behind after training to be able to work on their game, then those are the players he wants to see at the club. I will do everything possible to make sure we have the resources available to do that for our players.”

Did he talk about discipline?

“He spoke about disciple quite a bit. He was adamant that discipline will be one of the major keys to achieving our objectives. Immediately he’ll explain to the players what is expected of them and what they will all need to do. He emphasised the importance of everyone being in this together and there must be genuine unity within the squad.

"Roma isn’t about individuals, it’s about winning as a team. Not every player can play every game and for those not involved, for whatever reason, he still expects the same discipline and the same intensity in training so when they are called upon, they are ready. Anyone who doesn’t want to be part of what we are trying to create can leave. He made that very clear and I am 100% behind on him on that.”