Chelsea forward Timo Werner has insisted the Premier League is ‘tougher’ than he expected it to be.
The 24-year-old is still finding his feet following his £47.5 million summer switch from German side RB Leipzig.
Werner has scored four goals in 13 Premier League appearances this season.
He has quickly realised that football in England is a lot more physical than it is in the Bundesliga.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Werner said: “It does matter how you much cost.
“It’s always a bit of pressure when you come to a new club.
“But I think I can handle it very well. It’s not something new.
“The pressure is a little bit higher than the previous years but I think good footballers are the best under pressure and that’s my plan, I can do very well under pressure.
“The Premier League is a little bit different to my old league. It’s tougher than I thought.
“The contact here is harder than in Germany, it’s what I expected but not like this.”
Scott McTominay scored the earliest double in Premier League history as Manchester United earned a thrilling 6-2 victory over Leeds United at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have been guilty of starting slowly this season, but the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were out of the blocks like Usain Bolt and were ahead after two minutes, thanks to an unerring finish from McTominay, whose powerful strike from a Fernandes pass was something to behold.
Seconds later, the Scotland international channeled his early adrenaline by surging up the pitch to provide an overlapping run for Anthony Martial and, after an intelligent step-over to control the Frenchman’s pass, he hit a firm finish into the far corner.
That made McTominay the first Premier League player ever to score twice in the opening three minutes of a game and, incidentally, the first player to score twice in this fixture in the league since Solskjaer bagged a brace at Elland Road in 2002.
Those early goals required a response from Leeds and Bielsa’s side missed an excellent opportunity when Patrick Bamford opened up his body to shoot wide on seven minutes. The striker successfully found the net 12 minutes later, but the linesman correctly ruled it out for offside.
Before they knew it, the visitors were 3-0 down following a lightning-fast counter from United that began with former Leeds transfer target James intercepting possession near the halfway line. His pass to Fernandes led to Fred dribbling up the pitch to find Martial and, when presented with a loose ball, Bruno struck a low shot past the helpless Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
United were running riot by this point and made it 4-0 with 37 minutes on the clock: Luke Shaw’s corner was flicked on by Martial and Lindelof was on hand at the back post to finish with ease. The Swedish international admitted in the official programme that he is playing through the pain of a back injury and his commitment to the cause deserves plenty of praise.
Leeds managed to pull a goal back before the break, courtesy of Cooper’s towering header from Raphinha’s in-swinging corner, which wrapped up a sensational first half.
But any hopes of a fightback by Leeds were dashed on 66 minutes when McTominay turned provider for Daniel James to slot in a fifth.
Fernandes added a sixth goal from the penalty spot after Martial had been fouled, before Stuart Dallas scored a spectacular consolation for Leeds in a match featuring 43 shots.
Manchester United are up to third in the Premier League table – five points off the top and with a game in hand.
Manchester United: De Gea, Shaw (Telles 60), Lindelof, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka, Fred, McTominay, Fernandes (van de Beek 71), James, Rashford (Cavani 71), Martial. Subs not used: Henderson, Bailly, Pogba, Mata, Greenwood, Matic.
Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma is confident his team can get the job done against West Ham tomorrow despite to defeats on the bounce.
He told Chelsea’s official website: “It’s a difficult season because there are so many games to play in a short period of time, so it was nice to switch off a little bit.
“But we have a big squad and we have to be ready, especially with the two last games we lost. We have to bounce back. There is no other solution, no other way. We have to win on Monday.
“We know it will be tough. West Ham are playing good at the minute, they have had some great results, but we have to be ready for that.
“We are confident. We are playing at home, unfortunately, there won’t be fans but let’s do our job. We will fight for the three points, that’s it. There is no stress in the team, everyone is still confident, and we are going to win this game.”
There are reports David Alaba has been told he is free to negotiate with any club he chooses come January first.
Alaba has been strongly linked with Chelsea and Real Madrid, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge‘s recent comments about his future will only serve to heighten speculation.
Chairman of Bayern’s board of directors, Rummenigge has apparently given him the green light to negotiate a new future outside of Bavaria, according to Diario AS, via Football Espana.
“Bayern did everything possible to reach an agreement,” Rummenigge explained.
“We had many conversations but we wanted an answer from him by the end of October.
“It didn’t happen and now I don’t know whether we’ll resume negotiations. What I want to make clear is that our offer reflected how much we want him, but he didn’t accept it.”
Rummenigge was asked whether Madrid could be Alaba’s destination but refused to engage in speculation. “I don’t know about the rumours,” he said.
“He’s free to negotiate with whoever he wants from January 1st.”
