Zenit St Peterburg's 40-million-euro rookie Axel Witsel insisted on Tuesday he was settling into his new life in Russia, despite a recent internal fued in the club after his big-money signing.
Zenit's September signing of Brazilian striker Hulk for a reported 60 million euros and Witsel's arrival sparked a salary dispute among the other players with Russian national captain Igor Denisov dropping into Zenit's youth squad.
But Witsel believes he is starting to gel with his teammates.
"Though I haven't spent much time in Saint Petersburg, I'm already playing well with my new teammates," insisted the midfielder, who joined the reigning Russian champions from Portuguese giants Benfica.
"Our mutual understanding is growing day by day. Besides, I noticed that my personal skills are also on the rise here in Zenit."
Witsel, who missed a clear scoring chance in Saturday's 1-0 home win against Kuban Krasnodar, is confident he will soon get on the scoresheet as the club look to move up from their current fourth place in the league table.
"It was a good shot and I was a couple of inches shorter than needed to score. It's a pity but I believe I will open my scoring account in Zenit pretty soon."
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old also said that he was enjoying some new adventures in his adopted city including the Russian banya -- a hot sauna and freezing plunge pool -- as well as ice hockey.
"The Russian baths are great! Super! I really love it," Witsel said.
"The ice hockey match beween the local team and the visitors Ufa was really fascinating. I think I will attend ice hockey matches here together with my teammates on a regular basis."
Source: AFP
