Former Chelsea's Casadei says time in England 'changed' him

Fresh off his return to the Italian top flight from Chelsea, Cesare Casadei admitted that his two years in England served as an important learning curve for him both from a professional and personal perspective.

"I gained a lot from my time abroad," the midfielder said after receiving his first call-up to the Italy squad. "These two years in England have changed me as a person and player, I'm proud of my journey."

Landed at Stamford Bridge from Inter's youth squad, Casadei spent half a season in the Blues' under-21 squad before making two back-to-back loan moves to Reading and then Leicester. 

The 22-year-old spent some time first Chelsea's senior time as well, registering 17 appearances in total before completing his comeback to Serie A. Torino signed him in January for a fee of 13 million euros.

Speaking on his first few with the 'Granata' outfit, Casadei added: "I'm very happy with my first month at Torino. The support I got from the board has facilitated my integration into the team. 

The Italy international concluded as he said: "English football is very intense, but the Serie A is also very competitive. I came here because I was looking for a team where I could play and rediscover my form."