“For as long as I’m here, I’ll give everything I have for this team in every training session and match,” said Julio, who joined from SPAL in the January transfer window. “I’m delighted to have been given the chance to play for a big Italian team like Fiorentina and I know I need to do my best throughout this experience.”

The Brazilian centre-back revealed he spoke to former SPAL team-mates Nenad Tomovic and Bryan Dabo before arriving in Florence.

“I spoke to Tomovic and Dabo because as a young player it’s always nice to get advice from more experienced players,” he said. “I got lots of information from them about the city of Florence and the team. They told me that this is a massive club with a big following, so I got a lot of advice about what my professional and personal life might be like here in Florence.”

Julio has already made his Fiorentina debut – as a starter in the defeat to Juventus on Sunday – with the new boy stressing the importance of seizing the opportunity with both hands.

 “I need to make sure I’m always ready to play so I was when I was called upon against Juve,” he said. “I had lots of support from my team-mates and the coach, so I just tried to take the opportunity I’d been given.”