Runjaic surprised by Zaniolo: ‘Even too serious sometimes’

“He’s doing a good job so far. He’s improving, he knows that he has to improve and get better. We’ll help him and he’ll help us. I’m very happy. He’s an example in the dressing room and on the pitch.

“He’s even more serious than I expected, sometimes even too serious.”

Zaniolo joined Udinese on loan with an option to buy from Galatasaray last summer and has netted four goals in 10 appearances across all competitions this season.

Udinese ‘want to do more’ than last season

“We want to do more than last season. For sure, we want to learn and continue our process,” Runjaić continued.

“For me, the most important thing is that people around me are happy, so I want to do my part to make them happy. Whether it’s friends, family or in a professional way. This is what makes me happy the most.”

The German tactician has been criticised by local media because he’s not speaking fluent Italian yet, despite being in his second season at Udinese.

“I’m making progress. Honestly, in my job it’s not necessary to speak Italian, but I also have a big desire to learn this language,” he said.

“For that, you need energy, and I use a lot of energy during the day to do my job. After work, sometimes there’s no energy. I need time. I think I’ve improved. When I have a break, I’ll use it to work daily on my Italian because I love this country and I love Udine and Udinese. It’s really important to speak the language as I like to communicate.