Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Ciro Immobile determined to succeed at Torino following Dortmund loan

Ciro Immobile says he is ready to put a testing 18 months behind him after marking his second Torino debut with a goal at the weekend.

Immobile, 25, has seen his career take a dive since being chosen by Borussia Dortmund as the man to fill Robert Lewandowski's boots at the Bundesliga club.

After netting 22 Serie A goals for Torino in 2013-14, he struggled to settle in Westphalia and found the back of the net only three times in the Bundesliga.

Immobile was sent out on loan to Sevilla in the summer, but his return of two goals in eight games in the Primera Division was equally unsatisfactory, leading to his return to Italy this winter, where he says he now has a point to prove.

"I feel I am part of the family here," Immobile said at a news conference in Turin. "I want to thank the president for his kind words and for the great effort he made in bringing me back to Toro.

"I'm extremely motivated to pay him back and to get people talking about me again. The experience of this past year and a half has taught me a lot and made me grow. I have a strong bond with [Torino coach Giampiero] Ventura, who prepares games perfectly and gets his team playing really well, but I've learnt a lot also from [Unai] Emery and [Jurgen] Klopp."

Immobile scored a penalty in Saturday's 4-2 win over Frosinone just days after returning to the club, although he says he still has a lot of work to do before he is fully match fit.

When he does hit peak condition again, he believes he still has a chance of forcing his way back into the reckoning for a place in Italy's Euro 2016 squad. His last cap for Italy was in a friendly against Portugal last June.

"I'm not yet at my best physically, but to be honest I expected worse," he said. "Only by playing games regularly will I be able to hit my peak. [Italy coach Antonio] Conte has always been very clear -- to wear the Squadra Azzurra shirt you first need to be playing regularly and doing well at your club.

"Coming back here to Toro, I also hope to earn the chance to go to the Euros."

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