‘We have to introduce him slowly’ – Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira makes Naouirou Ahamada admission

Patrick Vieira has warned he will slowly introduce new signing Naouirou Ahamada – but believes the centre midfielder will adapt quickly to life in the Premier League.

The Eagles paid Stuttgart a fee in the region of £10million to secure the 20-year-old’s services on a permanent basis on deadline day.

Ahamada, who has 28 professional appearances in senior football to his name, signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at Selhurst Park.

Marseille-born Ahamada progressed through Juventus’ academy, with Stuttgart initially signing the midfielder on a six-month loan spell before committing to a permanent deal in the summer.

French U18 international Ahamada had scored two goals and recorded two assists this season for Stuttgart before joining Palace.

Vieira confirmed Ahamada will be in the squad for tomorrow’s trip to Old Trafford to play Manchester United.

“Ahamada is young, yes, but he moved from France to Italy and then to Germany,” said Vieira when asked whether he added the experience to his squad that he was looking for before the window opened.

“He has grown that personality you need at that level to compete, with the experience in his career.

“It may take time to adjust to the tempo and physicality of the Premier League, but he has come from Germany, where the physicality is higher, and he’s played in front of 50,000 or 60,000 fans every week. 

“I believe the adaptation [to the Premier League] will be quick, but we have to give him time to adapt to the system we are playing and [time for him to] understand what I want from him.

“We have to introduce him slowly, but he will get there.”

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