Abraham on Mourinho's project to turn him into a 'monster'

Abraham, currently away on international duty with the England squad, gave a long interview with the Daily Telegraph at the weekend – where he spoke at length about how he is evolving his game to adapt to the challenges of Serie A.

After a few months working with Mourinho, it seems the coach is encouraging Abraham to add a more assertive element to his playing style.

"Jose has told me just to be a monster," he said.

"I think one of the things he said was that I was too much of a nice player and that you have to show that aggressiveness as a striker as you’re getting older.

"It’s not always about being nice on the pitch. You need that character, you need that presence to frighten defenders and I think that’s something I’m learning and getting better at.”

Having earned an England recall since making the switch to the Giallorossi, the former Chelsea striker hopes he can continue to find his footing in his new surroundings and become a better player for it.

Ensuring his club form earns him consideration for England’s 2022 World Cup squad is another major motivation.

"It’s always tough when you move to experience a different country and different culture,” Abraham said.

“I felt the sooner I settled in the better and started learning different types of football and different styles.

"I’ve gone to spread my wings and hopefully I can keep up the level of performances I need to stay in the [England] team.

"Of course, the World Cup was in the back of my mind but really I just wanted to play football.

"For me, it’s still a young career and I just felt I needed to go out and play some games to improve and hit the highest levels and hopefully I can keep striving."

Abraham also admitted that he has been surprised by the quality of the competition in Serie A so far, with defenders posing a different challenge to what he has been used to.

“One thing I didn’t expect was Italy to be so tough,” he said.

“Players are very smart and defending is very important in the Italian style of play.

"In England we’re so used to attack, attack, attack and for me it’s about learning the other way – how to break down teams.

“It’s part of the learning curve and you see the likes of Romelu Lukaku, who have gone abroad and come back to England.

"At first it was at the back of my mind whether I really wanted to leave the Premier League. It’s the best league and where everyone wants to play. You always have doubts in your mind.

"But going to Serie A and a team like Roma, which is a massive club, I don’t think people will really forget you as long as you are doing your thing, scoring and playing well. That makes a noise in itself.

"I just have to keep doing the right things really and, as you can see, Gareth keeps an eye on players abroad."