Christian Atsu has admitted it was a difficult decision for him to leave FC Porto in 2013 to realize his dream of playing in England’s top flight division.

 The winger is set to grace the pitch at Estádio do Dragão in Black and White colors on Saturday in FC Porto's appearance against Newcastle.

The Ghanaian international represented the Portuguese giants between 2009 and 2013, and made 32 appearances in the 2012/13 season.

Speaking to the Newcastle website, Atsu spoke fondly about his former club: "I learned a lot at FC Porto, I was a quick evolution while I was there, the fans are great, they always have great talent and good coaches."

"It was difficult to make the decision to leave, but wanted to follow my dream, which was to play in the Premier League," explained the 26-year-old.

In Portugal, Atsu won a National League championship, won the I Liga once and won a Super Cup before moving to Chelsea in 2013/14.

By Daraja Mutari