Stoke City midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri spoke to Swiss newspaper Blick, revealing that his move to the Britannia was the right decision for him, citing professionalism as a major factor. 

After leaving Bayern Munich for Italian giants Inter Milan, the 24-year-old became disgruntled with manager Roberto Mancini and the teams form prompting him a move to the North West which he described as "the best choice." 

The player praised the medical staff at the Premier League club, telling the newspaper that "they will examine me everyday: hips, feet, legs," and that was in a "professional manner."

Shaqiri revealed this after speaking about his relationship with former manager Mancini. The Italian only started the former Champions League winner eight times in 15 games during the second half of the season and was rumoured to have had an uneasy relationship with his former player whilst the Switzerland star didn't do well to dispel those rumours. 

"With him I have never had any problems," said Shaqiri. "Only, he has often changed his opinion on me." 

Life in Italy

The player revealed an outlandish story that took place during his time under the 51-year-old which involved a trip into the mountains to meet a "miraculous healer" after a half an hour drive, before being "maninuplated by an old man," that "did not help me at all."

Shaqiri was also quick to defend his current team when he was asked whether the club - currently 10th in the Premier League - were seen as a step down from Champions league clubs such as Inter Milan and recent winners Bayern Munich. The young attacker claimed being at a club like Stoke would help him develop as a player.

He revealed "I have heard this story a few times, the most important thing is that I can grow and I can only see this at Stoke City. I am still young. I did not expect that this choice would be such a good one."

Champions League winner Xherdan Shaqiri | Photo: UEFA
Champions League winner Xherdan Shaqiri | Photo: UEFA

The player signed for the Potter's this summer after a fee worth £12 million was agreed with Inter, becoming the first Swiss player to play for the club. The forward player currently has just two goals to his name after a difficult few months adapting to life in England. 

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About the author
Joel Lampkin
Sports Journalist from Chester University, Professional wrestling writer. Contact [email protected]