All NewsINTERVIEW OF THE WEEK: THIERRY AMBROSE

INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK: THIERRY AMBROSE

With Thierry Ambrose, KV Oostende got a brand new striker last week. The French youth product of Manchester City wants to give his career a new impetus in Oostende.

How did you end up at KV Oostende and did you already know the team?

Gauthier Ganaye and KV Oostende have been following me for almost a year I think. Because of that, I watched some games last year and I liked their style of play. I like to put pressure on them as we also played like that at Machester City. That's one of the biggest reasons why I came here. I like the way they play and I see myself functioning within this system.

You're mainly brought in as a striker, but do you play any other positions?

In an attacking sense I can play anywhere. Of course I'm a deep striker, but I can also play on the flanks or behind the striker. If you ask my preference, it's in the striker's box in a two-striker system. So that I can look for space around another player. It doesn't matter who I play with, but I like to play together with another striker, a lightning rod like Makhtar Gueye or Marko Kvasina.

Your past two seasons have been a little more difficult.

The last two years I was playing for Metz and I was frustrated. I played often, but always only 20 or 30 minutes. Well, it didn't feel right at Metz from the start. The coach didn't really believe in me and when you don't score in the beginning of the season, it's hard to get into a flow and have faith in yourself. Besides that, people shouldn't underestimate how difficult it is to make a difference in 20 or 30 minutes and to deliver a goal or an assist. I think I only started 8 or 9 games in two years. Then it's very difficult to record good statistics. I played at NAC Breda and there I did play a good season and scored ten times. Then I went to Lens and it went well there too. So I know I can do it.

You trained at Manchester City, did you train with the A side there?

At the age of 18, I joined the training of the first team. There I played together with names like Agüero, Touré and yes, also Vincent Kompany. He was always very friendly to me, I look forward to playing against him. I also trained with Samir Nasri. I have learned a lot, but then I had bad luck with a severe injury. I tore one of my cruciate ligaments, but I still like to look back at that time. When you play together with players of this calibre, you really have to give everything you've got, so that you can make progress much faster. I also played together with Lukas Nmecha for a while. I know he played a great season with Anderlecht last year and I hope I can show the same. It's a pity we won't play each other this season, but that's football and I wish him all the best.

Are you ready to make your first minutes on Friday?

 Of course, that's for the trainer to judge, so I won't say anything about that. Two weeks ago I was covid positive, so that was a disappointment. I am slowly getting back in shape, so I hope to be on the pitch as soon as possible. In any case, I am relieved to be here. This new environment, new coach and new players really do me good. The goal for this year is simple: I want to score goals, give assists and I want the team to finish high in the standings again like last year. I'm ready for it."

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