Ivan Santini says that he cannot bring himself to ask his new Standard Liege team-mate all of his questions - and reveals some of the goalkeeper's issues at his new club
Standard Liege striker Ivan Santini says that he is too shy to ask new team-mate Victor Valdes about Lionel Messi or the goalkeeper's time at Barcelona.
The former Blaugrana star has only recently linked up with the Croatian forward, sealing a loan move from Manchester United to Standard in January.
And Santini indicated that some of the players at the Belgian club have found it hard to adapt to the presence of a Champions League winner, though he admitted that Valdes's advice has been helpful.
"Honestly, I did not yet even said I was a big fan of Real Madrid," the Croatian forward told Goal, revealing that he has not asked Valdes about Barcelona.
"It's strange to play with him in the team. I look at him as a big star. I wish I could have days questioning him about Messi, Barcelona, anything and everything but I cannot. I'm still too shy, somehow.
"Valdes is a miracle of a man! You know, it's a bit strange sitting opposite him in the locker room but he may help us learn, he's full of experiences and useful tips.
"Here, when you're in training and go into 'one on one' against him, your subconscious reminds you who is in goal. It makes you concentrate more.
"It's hard to believe that he has won so much but that he behaves so normally. He trains as if he is just out of the youth teams; he's very motivated."
But despite the signing of Valdes representing something of a coup for Standard, reports suggested that the Catalan's arrival upset a number of players due to the demotion of regular goalkeeper Guillame Hubert.
Santini, however, feels that reports had overstated the issue, though confirming that there was some ill feeling.
"Oh, it was not really such a big deal, these things always turn out to be exaggerated," he explained. "We had a young goalkeeper who was playing really well and who hadn't conceded a goal in 10 games but it was immediately clear that the arrival of Valdes meant that he had to move to the bench.
"We accepted it normally and we are happy to be a part of the club."
Aside from having to win over his team-mates, Valdes has also had to adapt to the Belgian league and life at a club that does not match the size of Barcelona or Manchester United, learning the hard way as he was forced to fork out €100 after swapping his match shirt with an opposing player.
"Oh, look, it is normal that players pay if they give away their shirts," Santini continued. "Each year we get five free shirts to give away to the opposition and we must pay for any others but, because we started the season poorly, we decided that we would pay for every shirt. Valdes probably did not know..."
- Goal