Crotone of Italy striker, Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo (Simy) has declared that he has a burning desire to start on a bright note this weekend, as he goes out for his club’s first match bak in the Italian Serie A against Genoa, megasportsarena.com reports.
‘Simy’ emerged as top scorer in the lower cadre Serie B last season, to help Crotone back to the top echelon after two seasons in the second-tier division, and the Super Eagles’ World Cup star at Russia 2018 is now eager to continue in same stride when action gets underway this Saturday.
After scoring twice to help Crotone defeat Serie C side, Vibonese 6-1 in their pre-season friendly, the 28-year-old former Portugal-based towering striker said he is ready to kick-start the 2020/21 campaign in blistering style against Genoa.
‘Simy,’ who emerged top-scorer in the Serie B last season with 20 goals from 36 games, was on top of his game alongside Kargbo, as they hit a brace each, while Messias and Riviere were also on target in the pore-season game, to further boost their confidence for the upcoming kick-off.
The former Gil Vicente and Portimonense SC of Portugal hitman, who got his first Super Eagles’ call-up after scoring seven goals in the Serie A during the 2017/18 season, added that he is also looking forward to getting a recall to the Nigerian national team in the coming weeks, now that he will once again be playing top-flight football in Italy.
The lanky forward, who ended last season as the top scorer in the Serie B with 20 goals in 37 games, has been out of the Eagles for more than two years, with his last appearance coming against Argentina during the 2018 World Cup.
He wrapped up pre-season in style, scoring twice and setting up another goal, as Crotone beat Serie C side, Vibonese 6-1 in their last build-up match, but he admitted that this campaign will be entirely different from what they faced in the lower cadre over the past two campaigns; hence his charge to his team to learn from their mistakes and ensure they remain in the Serie A.
Simy submitted: “I played at the World Cup and now I look forward (to another invitation to the national team). Of course, this is every player’s dream. We kick off on Sunday with a tough trip away at Genoa; it won’t be an easy game for us but we are very prepared for the game. It will be a really tough and long season but I believe we have the squad to do well.”
