FCBARCELONA.CAT

30.07.2007 21:50

Touré Yaya: "Hard work will bear fruit"

Berta Brau

Touré Yaya has enjoyed his first taste of life at FC Barcelona after returning from the trip to Scotland. "It is going well," he explained. "It is easy to play with the quality of players here."

The Ivory Coast international attended his first press conference in Camp Nou following the squad's first training session following their return from St. Andrews and he was probed about his adaptation to his new surroundings after joining the club from Monaco. After stating that everything was going well he added "that hard work will bear fruit".

Great players

Along with Thierry Henry and Éric Abidal, Yaya was one of the three summer signings to travel to Scotland with the squad and played the most minutes in the two games there. Those appearances have given him confidence, but the 24-year-old knows is prepared to earn his place. "There are great players at the club and the competition is strong, but if I work hard then I think I can be a regular."

Balancing act

When asked what Frank Rijkaard had asked him to do on the pitch, Yaya stated: "He wants me to create a balance between the defence and the attack. In a team like Barça, this job is vital, especially as we have so many attackng players. I must keep things on an even keel."

Great atmosphere

Yaya admits that he was surprised by certain things upon his arrival at Barça. "Definitely the quality and the generosity of my new team-mates," he explained. "Also the great atmosphere within the squad too." The powerful midfielder has been delighted to be proved right about his impressions from the outside as he knew about the talent within the Barça camp when he was at Monaco. "Barça has a great team with some incredibly talented players," he added.

Learning experience

Looking at his new team-mates, Yaya said: "Henry is a great person and I think that he helps everyone by passing on his experience." He then revealed how impressed he has been with both Bojan Krkic and Giovani Dos Santos. "If they are in the Barça first team squad then it means that they are great players and I think that they will grow and grow and have great futures ahead of them," he stated.