Emmanuel Emenike has vowed to rediscover his goalscoring touch at Al Ain after joining the club on loan from Fenerbahce earlier this month.
The Nigerian international has signed a one-year deal with the UAE champions and replaces in the squad Asamoah Gyan, the highly rated Ghanaian who recently departed for the Chinese Super League.
Emenike, 28, arrives at Al Ain on the back of a relatively modest season in Turkey, in which he scored four goals in 27 league matches as Fenerbahce finished second in the Turkish Super Lig.
However, the striker, who has previously represented sides in South Africa as well as Russia’s Spartak Moscow, is confident he can provide his best football at Al Ain.
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"Every move I have made in my career has always been great; this one to Al Ain will be greater," said Emenike in an interview with Africanfootball.com. "Since my days in South Africa, Turkey, Russia and back to Turkey, it has always been a wonderful experience.
“I have never regretted any decision I took in my career and I am very confident that this is another greater moment for me. This move has a lot to do with my career and I am ready to work hard and get back to my scoring best. Of course, I am ready for that. I did it with Fenerbahce.”
Emenike has the unenviable task of succeeding Gyan, who during four seasons at Al Ain helped the club to three league titles. In scoring 95 goals in 83 top-flight matches, Gyan secured the Golden Boot three times.
Yet Emenike, joint-top scorer at the 2013 African Cup of Nations, insists he is not daunted by his predecessor’s record.
“I am not under any pressure, I am good to go,” he said. “I have scored goals in Europe, I know what it takes and it’s not a big deal coming to play for an ambitious club like this.
“Leaving Fenerbahce does not mean I must prove them wrong. I am focusing on how I will score beyond expectations. And for Gyan, I am not here to fill his shoes or be Gyan. He’s a fantastic player, one of the best in Africa, and he left Al Ain with a good record. I have come to make my own impact.
“I have no other mission here at Al Ain than to score goals and win titles. The expectation is obviously high and I am looking forward to justify the trust they have in me. I have come here to deliver, nothing will change it.
“But I cannot do it alone. I am a team player and I will love to get going with my teammates and also get the cooperation of everybody.”
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