I am grateful to Juventus: Morata

Spanish striker Alvaro Morata, who has joined Real Madrid after two seasons on loan with Juventus, says he is grateful to the reigning Italian champions.

Morata returned to Madrid for the next season even though Juventus director general Beppe Marotta was not too keen on letting him go. But he was powerless against the player's buy-back clause.

"I enjoyed two incredible years at Juventus, where I learnt very, very much. I can only be grateful to the club, because without them I wouldn't be here," Morata was quoted as saying by the Real Madrid website on Thursday.

The 23-year-old was also excited to be part of Real again and praised coach Zinedine Zidane saying he "works hard".

"It's incredible to still be here," Morata said after joining the Real Madrid squad in Canada. "It's a dream come true and I'm keen to start working. I have all the drive in the world."

"I hope I can get there as soon as possible so I can get started. (Coach Zinedine) Zidane works hard and imposes a lot of physical work."

--IANS

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