Bruce Djite will use tomorrow night’s vital Asian Champions League clash with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma to help stake his claim as Adelaide United's number one central striker ahead of the arrival of Socceroo frontman Paul Agostino.
“I haven’t seen him [Agostino] play but I’d like to learn from him. I don’t know how it’s gonna work but mate, I’d kill for a spot in the team,” Djite, 20, tells www.au.fourfourtwo.com.
Whether Djite and Agostino - who's due in Adelaide over the next few months - can play together upfront remains to be seen, but in the meantime Djite has challenged Adelaide’s fans to come out in numbers on Wednesday night after what he says was a “disappointing” turnout for the club’s first ACL match against China’s Shandong Luneng recently.
“Yeah, our first crowd was very disappointing. I know it was just after the grand final debacle but it’s not a huge stadium so we should be able to fill it. They’re great fans … we’ve got to get the crowds back.”
After that matchday one loss, Djite refuses to concede that anything other than a win tomorrow night would be a disaster for the Reds’ chances of progressing. “In sport you never know… We will show them respect but we can’t be intimidated by them.
“They are the Korean champions and they’re a physical side. We’ve gotta try to work out how to break them down if they come to defend.”
In the off season the Korean powerhouse reportedly splurged $6million on Choi Sung-kuk, Kim Dong-hyun and Han Dong-won, and the team currently head the K-League remaining undefeated from their opening five games. Last Saturday, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma disposed of Ulsan Horang-I 3-0 away from home.
Djite is now confirmed to be playing in a Reds shirt for the ACL and A-League version 3.0. After some press speculation regarding a move away from the City of Churches, Djite signed on at Hindmarsh for two years last week.
Adelaide’s exciting signings policy, including Djite’s Olyroo teammate Kristian Sarkies, was one reason why he put pen to paper. But Washington, USA-born Djite is remaining cautious about the growing hype surrounding him.
“I can’t get ahead of myself,” he says. “You can’t achieve things in the future if you don’t achieve things now. I must concentrate here, score goals and build my profile so when clubs do come calling in the future, you’re ready to take your opportunity.”
Whether Djite and Agostino - who's due in Adelaide over the next few months - can play together upfront remains to be seen, but in the meantime Djite has challenged Adelaide’s fans to come out in numbers on Wednesday night after what he says was a “disappointing” turnout for the club’s first ACL match against China’s Shandong Luneng recently.
“Yeah, our first crowd was very disappointing. I know it was just after the grand final debacle but it’s not a huge stadium so we should be able to fill it. They’re great fans … we’ve got to get the crowds back.”
After that matchday one loss, Djite refuses to concede that anything other than a win tomorrow night would be a disaster for the Reds’ chances of progressing. “In sport you never know… We will show them respect but we can’t be intimidated by them.
“They are the Korean champions and they’re a physical side. We’ve gotta try to work out how to break them down if they come to defend.”
In the off season the Korean powerhouse reportedly splurged $6million on Choi Sung-kuk, Kim Dong-hyun and Han Dong-won, and the team currently head the K-League remaining undefeated from their opening five games. Last Saturday, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma disposed of Ulsan Horang-I 3-0 away from home.
Djite is now confirmed to be playing in a Reds shirt for the ACL and A-League version 3.0. After some press speculation regarding a move away from the City of Churches, Djite signed on at Hindmarsh for two years last week.
Adelaide’s exciting signings policy, including Djite’s Olyroo teammate Kristian Sarkies, was one reason why he put pen to paper. But Washington, USA-born Djite is remaining cautious about the growing hype surrounding him.
“I can’t get ahead of myself,” he says. “You can’t achieve things in the future if you don’t achieve things now. I must concentrate here, score goals and build my profile so when clubs do come calling in the future, you’re ready to take your opportunity.”
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