Asamoah Gyan has revealed Chelsea star Michael Essien had a say in his move to Sunderland.
Gyan is already a hero for Sunderland fans after scoring on debut yesterday.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "Before I decided to join Sunderland I had a chat with Michael about moving to England. He has the same respect in Ghana that David Beckham has in England.
"Every time I met him I asked him about playing in the Premier League.
"Michael explained to me it was a very physical with a lot of hard running all the time and that you had to be very fit to play in it.
"When I was playing in Italy I admired the Premier League and thought I could play in it. It was my ambition to play in it. Now I have achieved that ambition, everything is possible."
