“I spoke with him and told him that the club is amazing. You have everything here. The most important thing is that when you play well, it is incredible. Of course, I’m happy he’s coming. When you have a team-mate maybe three years ago… I’ve since played against him when he was at Bayern and against him when he was with Fulham. He’s a good guy. I like him.
“He’s also excited to come here. When I arrived at Sporting, Palhinha is the one person in my life that I had the best relationship with in the dressing room. We’re good friends. For us, this signing is very, very good because he is a good person. That is the most important thing, that he is a good person. I think the people here will like him.
“On the pitch, he is consistent, a hard-working person, a little bit aggressive. I like Palhinha because, to play in his position (central midfield), you need that aggression when the ball is in your half. And that is the best attribute of Palhinha – that aggression. I’ve seen it in training and it’s similar in games. If there’s one person who likes aggression and intensity, it’s Palhinha – and that is good for us.”