Dubai: Luca Toni scored on his Fiorentina debut on Friday in a 4-0 win against his former club Al Nasr — but Blue Wave coach Walter Zenga had little praise for the veteran striker’s return to form.
Toni, 35, was released by Al Nasr in May after scoring five goals in ten appearances last season. He rejoined Serie A club Fiorentina last week — with whom he spent two years from 2005 — ready to face his old Dubai teammates in an ironic friendly at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy.
Zenga said of Toni after the game: “He didn’t do well to seek motivation here at Al Nasr. I didn’t like what he said in the papers and those comments do him no credit. A player must find motivation even when there isn’t any.
“He did what he was meant to do, but also dislocated his elbow and was out for 42 days. Therefore he missed a lot of the games. I imagine he can play at Fiorentina, it depends if his mind is on the job.”
Toni had told press upon rejoining Fiorentina: “The experience in the UAE was nice but it was not real football. I still need and want to feel the adrenaline of sport. I didn’t find the type of football I was expecting [in the UAE]. I still have the desire to play and do well.”
