Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi has told new Chelsea signing Hakim Ziyech that he must be prepared for the physical nature of the Premier League.

The pair came through the youth ranks in the Netherlands before El Ghazi left the country six years ago but, while he is confident that the former Ajax player will adapt in England, he says he will need to put in the work:

“You just have to think about your muscles with so many games. I thought I was big and heavy, but sometimes you run into players and you think ‘is that a wall?’ But Ziyech is going to do well at Chelsea. Hundred per cent.”

Chelsea will have taken Ziyech’s physique into account before opting to sign the winger, while they should also be on top of the type of gym work he will need to do in order to cope with the physical demands of English football.

The Moroccan international has also played a considerable number of Champions League games for Ajax, which means he does have experience of playing against different types of opponents anyway so, even though, an adaptation process will be required, the Blues will feel confident of getting him up to speed fairly quickly.