After four season’s away, exciting winger Ramy Najjarine has returned home and to where his footballing journey began, being one of many new faces to adorn the red and black this season.
Having grown up in South-West Sydney and spending one season in the Western Sydney Wanderers’ academy side in 2016-17, he is keen to bring success back to a club that has undergone much change since he departed.
“Very excited to be back, a lot has changed. The amazing facilities here now, which wasn’t here back when I was here. It’s good, exciting times are ahead. The boys are good, all the staff are good and welcoming,” the 21 year-old told Kick360.
Since his departure in 2017, he has played 25 times for Melbourne City, and spent a season on loan in the Hunter at the Newcastle Jets, playing 15 times and scoring three goals. When the Wanderers came calling, he felt that there were many factors about the club that made him feel it was the right place to go at this present moment.
“The club’s ambition, the environment here, the people here, the playing style here as well” all helped sway his decision.”
The massively revamped squad underwent a gruelling pre-season, and Najjarine says that there was evident progress and an increase in chemistry as it went on.
“The boys adapted really well, it’s been a tough pre-season, a long one. Now there’s exciting times where we play games week in, week out, the boys are all very excited and looking forward to it. We’ve only had a couple of games together, obviously we’ve got to adapt to each other’s playing styles and movements.
“It’s coming along, as you can see in the games, we’ve got good results [in pre-season], and hopefully we carry that through the season.”
As a tricky winger, he is looking to make an impact in the forward areas of the pitch, where the Wanderers have an array of talent, including Dimitri Petratos, Tomer Hemed and Keijiro Ogawa. Najjarine is confident that he can make an impact and is relishing the prospect of linking up with such esteemed players.
“It’s very exciting, they are fantastic players, and I think in the whole team itself there is a lot of quality, which makes everyone’s job a bit easier. In a couple of games, when we really gel together, you will see the flow we have.
“Hopefully I can create a lot of goals and assists for the team and [help] the team be successful this year.”
So far, Carl Robinson appears to have been impressed with Najjarine’s progress and conduct in pre-season, as he has started the FFA Cup match against Broadmeadow Magic, as well as the first two A-League Men’s games for the Wanderers. His ability on the ball, movement and passing have all stood out, though the Wanderers have only been able to draw those two league games.
That has not changed their ambitions at all, however, as Najjarine still firmly believes that the squad can go on to achieve great things this season.
“To be honest, with the team we have here and the playing style we are seeing, we should really win it. We’ve got really quality players across the park and it’s now our job to deliver on the day.”
