ENES Unal expressed his “love” for Premier League football, insisting he is a “totally different” person and player from his previous spell in England with Manchester City.

As a highly-rated teenager, Unal was snapped up by City from hometown team Bursaspor in the summer of 2015.

He featured for the club in friendly matches, but never in a competitive game, before leaving to join Villarreal in 2017.

The striker began to make a name for himself in Spain, notably at Getafe, with only Karim Benzema (46) scoring more La Liga goals than Unal (30) over the past two full seasons.

Cherries came calling, Unal completing an initial loan move at the start of this month, the deal set to turn permanent for around £14million in the summer.

The 26-year-old got his first taste of Premier League football on Saturday, coming off the bench during the second half of Cherries’ 3-1 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Bournemouth Echo: Cherries were beaten 3-1 at Fulham

Reflecting on the experience, Unal told the Daily Echo: “I love it. It is better than I thought.

“Of course I want to win games with my teammates, but it was lovely.

“I come from Spain and people get confused, but I am a really physical player.

“I love getting into duels and I love playing the game like this.”

Asked if he always wanted to return to England after his spell with Man City, Unal added: “Yes, of course. This is the Premier League.

“Out in Spain I was comfortable, settled in really well there and was having great seasons.

“I wanted to have a good opportunity, a good team, a good situation.

“I didn’t want to come into chaos, because there is a lot of money in this league also and sometimes as a player you can come into chaotic situations.

“I think I am in the right place at the right time. I am very eager to achieve great things here.”

Quizzed on the nature of his move, confirmed late on transfer deadline day, Unal explained: “It was a surprise.

“I knew (of interest) for a week before deadline day, but it looked like it was not going to happen, then it was going to happen.

“But my mind was made up already.

“If it didn’t happen, I was going to be really disappointed.

“I’m really happy that it happened and I’m here.”

Bournemouth Echo: Enes Unal has arrived in Bournemouth

Unal had to wait around a week to meet his new teammates, only travelling over from Spain a few days before the Fulham game as he awaited his visa to be processed.

Speaking about his first few days at Cherries, the Turkey international said: “Until the game, it was better than I expected.

“Of course, we didn’t win the game, so that leaves a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

“But the guys are really nice, everyone that works in the club welcomed me and made everything so easy.

“My family is back in Madrid, so I am only focused on football. That’s easier also.”

He added: “When I was younger, I used to be really excited and everything (before games), but I feel ready.

"I feel prepared and I am just going to prepare every single day to make great games in the best league of the world.”

Asked if his time at Man City can help with the adaptation process, Unal said: “It’s been a long time.

“I had just been in pre-seasons with Manchester City, just two months.

“I was 18 and 19 years old, so I was just a young kid.

“It was not so pleasant for me, because it was the first time I was away from my family, from my country.

“It is totally different now. I feel I am ready.

“I am developed as a human being and as a player and I think it is the right time.”