‘I just want to focus on myself’ – Dario Essugo not trying to prove a point to Chelsea after opening his Strasbourg account

Dario Essugo (21) made his first start for RC Strasbourg Alsace since joining on loan from partner club Chelsea over the summer. The Portugal youth international celebrated by scoring the opener at the Allianz Riviera on Sunday.

His opener came from the edge of the box, with his driven effort clipping the inside of Yehvann Diouf’s post on the way in. However, OGC Nice fought back and would take all three points thanks to Jonathan Clauss’ late winner (2-1). We spoke to Essugo about the importance of his loan spell with Le Racing in the context of looking to establish himself as a Chelsea player in the long term.

“I want to play but not to show [anything] to someone else. I just want to focus on myself and help Strasbourg to improve and win games,” he told Get French Football News in a post-match mixed zone interview.

On how he is being utilised by compatriot Hugo Oliveira in the midfield, Essugo added, “He wants me to be myself. He wants me to play as more of a No. 8, and that’s good for me because I can get in the box more. It’s a new thing for me, but I can drive the ball more and help the team in defence.” His utilisation as a No.8 comes after having been utilised as a central defender by the Portugal U21s. Essugo is certainly learning versatility in his opening weeks in Alsace.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Nice