Leverkusen pleasantly surprised with Ernest Poku's immediate impact

Bayer Leverkusen managing director for sport Simon Rolfes is pleased with how quickly Ernest Poku has settled in and taken on an important role following his switch from Dutch Eredivisie side AZ.

“This happened very fast. It was not expected that a player from a smaller league would adapt so well and so quickly,” Rolfes admitted in an interview with Kicker, saying the 21-year-old's potential “remains high”.

Poku, who has been involved in eight goals (four goals, four assists) in 14 appearances, admitted he did not even expect things to go this smoothly himself.

“I didn’t expect this from the beginning, but you know, things like this can happen. You just have to be ready – and I am ready," he said.

Poku will get his next chance to impress when Leverkusen face Manchester City away from home in the Champions League on Tuesday.