Tim Weah has admitted he felt like a "broken player" when he joined Marseille from Juventus last summer.
Weah spent two seasons with Juventus, making 78 appearances in all competitions for the Bianconeri. The U.S. men's national team attacker was used in a variety of positions in Turin, shuffling between an outside back role and a position farther up the field.
The 25-year-old rotated in and out of the starting lineup with Juventus, managing seven goals and seven assists during his spell with the Serie A side.
But Weah's final months at Juventus were tumultuous, as Weah rejected a transfer to Nottingham Forest in June.
According to Weah's agent, Juventus then blocked his desired move to Marseille as "revenge" for his refusal to join Forest. Eventually, however, Marseille did sign Weah on loan with a €14 million obligation to make the move permanent.
Weah has become a fixture at Marseille, tallying three goals and four assists in 28 appearances this season under head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
In an interview with Telefoot, the New York native was candid about how difficult the end of his spell with Juventus was.
"Olympique Marseille picked up a player who was broken, totally lacking in confidence," Weah said.
"It was difficult for me to even get up in the morning to go to training, because things were just not going well for me. Marseille really took a gamble."
Weah recounted how De Zerbi convinced him to return to France, where he had previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Lille.
"The coach called me at 4 a.m., on FaceTime," he said with a laugh.
"He was wearing his pajamas and smoking. He said: ‘Tim, you’ve got to come here. You’ll see, this is your home.’ And when I arrived at the airport, I was greeted as if I was home."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT winger Tim Weah says Juventus spell left him 'broken'