Dario Del Fabro insists he was sold on a move to Kilmarnock because he loves the aggressive nature of British football.
The Italian defender put pen to paper on a season-long loan from Serie A champions Juventus.
And the 24-year-old made a winning start in Killie colours after his side beat St Johnstone 1-0 on Saturday to earn their first Premiership win of the season.
Del Fabro is looking forward to making an impact at Rugby Park – and he admits the physical nature of the top flight holds no fears for him.
He told the Kilmarnock Standard: “I’m very happy for this opportunity because when I was young, my dream was to play in the United Kingdom.
“I’m very fascinated by this kind of football, which is very aggressive, and the supporters are unbelievable – the stadiums are always busy and the atmosphere is so good.
“When I was younger, I always watched the [English] Premier League but also the Scottish Premiership which is very good and has so much history.
“For me, it will be an opportunity to prove myself.
“I think I’m an aggressive and solid defender so it is fine for me to play this kind of football. I’m comfortable with it.”
Del Fabro could have been set for a switch to Belgian club Sint-Truden but revealed Killie was his first choice when he learned of boss Angelo Alessio’s interest.
He added: “I’ve never worked with him before but when I was with Cagliari, I played three times against Juventus when the coach was Antonio Conte and Alessio was the assistant.
“My family are really happy for me. They have never been to Scotland so they will be coming to see the cities, towns and all of the historical places.”
Stephen O’Donnell’s goal clinched the points in Perth for Killie at the weekend with Del Fabro delighted to get off to a flying start.
“It was very exciting as it was my debut and I wanted to show my skills to help the team to their first win,” he said.
“My debut was okay. We got the three points and a clean sheet so I was really happy.
“I’m looking forward to having a very good season with Kilmarnock.”
