Morata took part in his first training session with Chelsea in Singapore on Sunday (Picture: Getty)
Morata took part in his first training session with Chelsea in Singapore on Sunday (Picture: Getty)

Alvaro Morata has risked the ire of Manchester United fans by saying he has joined the best club in England and is eagerly awaiting his Chelsea debut following his £70 million move.

The Spanish striker, who will officially wear the No.9 shirt next season, seemed destined to move to Old Trafford for much of the summer, with United locked in negotiations with Real Madrid for months.

But they were unable to agree a fee and sensed an opportunity to sign Romelu Lukaku instead, hijacking Chelsea’s deal to recruit the Belgian hitman for an initial £75m.

Chelsea have also confirmed that Morata will wear the No.9 shirt next season (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea have also confirmed that Morata will wear the No.9 shirt next season (Picture: Getty)

That forced Chelsea to switch targets, redirecting their attention to Morata, though there is no suggestion from either party that they have ended up with the worse option.

‘I feel good. I signed with the best club of England,’ Morata told Chelsea TV in his first interview since joining the club, speaking in near perfect English.

‘I’m so happy, so proud. I can’t wait to play at Stamford Bridge and to see all the supporters and to play with the Chelsea shirt.’

Morata scored 15 goals in La Liga last season from just 14 starts, while Lukaku narrowly missed out on the Premier League golden boot with 25 goals for Everton.

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The Spaniard will make his first appearance for the club on Tuesday when Chelsea take on Bayern Munich, though he will not start the match having only taken part in one training session since linking up with the squad in Singapore over the weekend.

‘My plan is to give him the possibility to play part of the game, but not from the start because he only arrived [on Sunday] and started to work with us,’ Conte told a news conference.

Chelsea's pre-season fixtures

Chelsea 3-0 Arsenal
Chelsea 2-3 Bayern Munich
Chelsea 1-2 Inter Milan
Aug 6 – Arsenal (Wembley – Community Shield)

‘Morata is a young player who has a lot of experience in his career because he played with two big teams in Real Madrid and Juventus. He has also played a lot of games in the Champions League and won it last season.

‘He can have a big impact in the Premier League. It’s different if you compare it to leagues in other countries because it’s very tough and physically it’s strong, but Morata is ready to have a big impact.’

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