With the 2019/2020 Italian Serie A season already up and running and nearly a quarter matches strong, Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong says the Italian club Udinese should be aiming for a much higher finish this season than last season’s twelfth place.

The 25-year old centre back joined from Turkish side Bursaspor last season and went on to establish himself in the heart of defence for the Stadio Friuli side playing 35 times in Serie A last season.

He’s continued in the same vein this season on the back of an impressive AFCON outing for Nigeria and has featured in six of Udinese’s eight league games including a masterful performance in last week’s 1-0 win over compatriot Ola Aina’s Torino which saw him named in the Serie A team of the week.

Such performances should be the norm for Udinese and show what the club is truly capable of Troost-Ekong says, admitting that Udinese who are currently tenth in Serie A were sub-par for the majority of the 2018/2019 season.

Assessing his debut season, Troost-Ekong who started all 35 games in the league he was available for told busybuddiesng.com that, while his team was often mired in relegation trouble, his first season in Italy was a largely enjoyable experience.

He, however, says that a club of Udinese’s pedigree should be doing much better than last season’s survival struggle which saw them eventually finish in an “okay” twelfth place.

And having had a full season to get used to Italian football, Troost-Ekong says he hopes to build on his debut season and become a better player for his team.

“I think I’ve enjoyed my year in Italy this year,” said the defender who played six times and scored a goal for the Super Eagles in their run to third-place at the 2019 AFCON.

“Udinese is a very nice and ambitious club as well, we didn’t have the best of seasons last [season] because we should have been finishing much higher but I think with the twelfth position, in the end, it was okay.

“So hopefully, I can build on that experience and become a better player.”