New signing, Justin Sangaré says he is excited to ’embrace’ the opportunity at Salford Red Devils and looks forward to making an impact on the field.
The France international became our fifth addition of the season this afternoon, joining the likes of Esan Marsters, Sam Davis, Chris Hill and Joe Bullock as fresh arsenal in Paul Rowley’s ranks.
After bursting onto the scene with Toulouse Olympique, the prop forward made the switch to West Yorkshire and the eight-time Men’s Betfred Super League champions, Leeds Rhinos.
Two years later, he’s swapped the Rhinos for the Red Devils in a move that he told our YouTube channel he’s excited to embrace.
“Very excited. I just can’t wait to start training with the lads. It’s going to be a new experience for me and I just can’t wait to start,” he began.
“I’ve got my family with me. We’ve lived in Leeds for two years already and to stay in England with my missus, we spoke and said it would be a very big experience, so we have just taken and embraced this opportunity – and we just want to enjoy and have the best memories we can with Salford.”
Sangaré has revealed the move transpired after a conversation with our Head Coach, where, unsurprisingly, he filled the 26-year-old with a lot of confidence in what he could achieve under his guidance.
“He looks like he knows what he wants. He looks calm and he’s very humble,” Sangaré told us.
“So I like the approach he had with me and with his influence, he can help me pass another step in my career and that’s why I made the move here – and that’s why it’s the right move to come here, and have Paul as a coach.”
“I think he can help me with a lot of things, but the first thing for me is to be back on the pitch enjoying playing rugby with the lads.
“Because for me, when you play rugby, it’s to enjoy your time and have fun. If your family is okay and the coach is happy, you improve in everything.”
Countless individuals have said the same words about the boss. In a recent feature about Rowley’s Coach of the Year nomination, winger, Ethan Ryan revealed how he was back playing rugby with a smile on his face after a year working under our coaching team.
We’ve seen throughout Sangaré’s time in the Super League what he can bring to the team when playing his best rugby.
“With all the humility, I can bring power, explosively. Throughout my career, I have brought an impact from the bench to hopefully make the difference,” Sangaré explained when asked what attributes he can bring to our already talented team.
However, he is still a relatively young player and says he takes it ‘as a challenge’ to soak up any information he can from the more experienced members of our dressing room.
“At Toulouse (Olympique) we had a lot of older players and every time I took it as a challenge to take more experience from them to make me progress.
“Because when you’ve got so many experienced players around you, it makes you better, changes your mindset with everything on the pitch. I take that as a gift and just stay around them and learn everything.”
Watch our first full chat with Justin below after confirmation of his transfer to Salford.
