"I Need to Take English Lessons!" - Allan Elias Lifts Lid on Manchester City Dressing Room and First Brazil Call-Up

"I Need to Take English Lessons!" - Allan Elias Lifts Lid on Manchester City Dressing Room and First Brazil Call-Up Allan Elias joined Man City from Palmeiras for €40M in August. Moving to a new country aged 22 - with a new language to pick up and the physical demands of the Premier League to get to grips with - would be a daunting test for just about anyone. It is an especially steep leap if you are coming all the way across the Atlantic, which is where a friendly face or two in the dressing room can make a world of difference. Allan Elias has had plenty of those since his summer switch from Palmeiras to Manchester City , with a group of Portuguese-speaking teammates easing him in and Erling Haaland dishing out his usual gentle ribbing. Off the pitch, his start to life in England has been capped by a surprise first call-up to the Brazil national team. Speaking to Globo , the winger opened up on what his first few months at the City Football Academy have been like. A core of Portuguese speakers in compatriot Vitor Reis and Portugal internationals Matheus Nunes and Ruben Dias has given him a ready-made support network. Adapting to the pace and physicality of English football is one challenge and the language another, but Allan has thrown himself at both. With Manchester City pushing in four competitions this season under Enzo Maresca, he has spent almost as much time in the classroom as on the training pitch. “It’s been really nice,” Allan said, as relayed by Sport Witness . “There’s Vitor Reis, Matheus Nunes, Ruben [Dias]. They speak Portuguese and help me a lot. "Erling Haaland sometimes comes to talk and jokes that I don’t understand much, that I need to take English lessons.” “I’m taking them and trying to learn as quick as possible. I’m trying to make the most of this incredible moment by working hard in training and in lessons to adapt as quick as possible." That willingness to knuckle down will have been a key factor in convincing Manchester City to bring the 22-year-old to east Manchester in the first place, and his versatility across the front line hands Maresca a few more options out wide as the fixtures pile up. While Allan was finding his feet in England, the call from Brazil arrived seemingly out of the blue. A first senior call-up, only months into his Premier League career, has left the young forward pinching himself. To be involved with the senior squad says it all about the impression he has made over his time in Brazil’s youth teams and at Palmeiras. “I’m very happy and very nervous,” Allan added. “I sit with the lads who are coming for the first time and all we talk about is this introduction, what we’re going to sing, what joke we’re going to tell. "Ever since I found out I’d been called up, that’s what I’ve been thinking about most. It’s difficult to arrive and see players like Raphinha, Vini, Endrick. "My dad talks to me a lot and tells me I’m capable, I have my talent. Once I’m on the pitch, I can separate things, forget everything else and focus completely. “Every time my dad sends a message, I get even more anxious. I talk to my wife and tell her I can’t believe what I’m experiencing. Not long ago, all this seemed so far away. I can only thank God and try to make the most of it." When Manchester City turn their attention back to domestic action after the international break, Allan will be hoping to follow up his first senior call-up with more minutes at the Etihad Stadium.