After Ajax's 2-0 win over Atalanta on Thursday evening, Marcos Leonardo spoke candidly about his difficult start in Amsterdam. The Brazilian striker faced strong criticism from Wim Kieft during the match, then told Sam van Royen on Ziggo Sport about his lack of goals, his battle with Tolu Arokodare for a starting place and his physical condition when he arrived in the Netherlands.

Goals from substitutes Tolu and Abdellah Ouazane gave Ajax their first Conference League win, but Marcos Leonardo endured another disappointing evening. He started, missed a big chance and came off after 66 minutes. "First of all, I want to thank God for today's victory," the Brazilian says.

"We knew it would be a very difficult match, but fortunately the team started sharply and with a lot of energy, which allowed us to take the three points," Marcos Leonardo continued. The 23-year-old Brazilian knows he can improve. "I'm a centre-forward and I always want to score goals, but unfortunately my start here hasn't been the best possible one."

Still, Marcos Leonardo is not too worried about his goal drought. "I believe that with hard work things will get better and I'll start scoring goals again," the forward says. "I'm 23 and I've already scored more than a hundred goals in my career, so it's not as though I've suddenly forgotten how to score."

"I'm sure time will do its work and that I'll eventually get going and score a lot of goals for Ajax," he stresses. Meanwhile, Tolu's goal after coming on against Atalanta has strengthened his case for a place in the team.

Marcos Leonardo has nothing but positive words for his rival. "Tolu is a great guy, someone who brings a lot of positive energy to the group and turns up at the training ground every day cheerful and motivated," he says. "It's only natural that we both want to play and score goals, but it's healthy competition and, ultimately, Ajax will only be better for it."

Van Royen also asks Marcos Leonardo about reports that he was overweight when he joined Ajax. "When I arrived here, I had just come back from a holiday in Brazil and hadn't done anything at all for thirty days; I'd spent time with my family and enjoyed my holiday," the forward explains.

"That made it a little harder at first to adapt and get used to Europe again, where football is faster, and physically I wasn't at my best. But I think I'm getting closer and closer to my best physical condition, and I hope I can soon help the team with lots of goals and assists."