Dundee new boy Ziyad Larkeche has already had one funny lost-in-translation moment in his short time at Dens Park.
The 21-year-old didn’t need the stretcher on his home debut against Hearts last weekend but he got it nonetheless.
“I think it’s quite a funny story, you know,” he explained.
“Maybe it’s a miscommunication with the Scottish accent.
“I said to the guy, ‘could you stretch me’ because I had cramp for a long time.
“He understood I wanted to bring the stretcher on.
“It was just a bit of miscommunication. After I saw the stretcher, I said, ‘what are you doing?’
“After that, I couldn’t come back to watch the game so I had to watch on TV.
“But I’m totally fine. It was just cramp!”
His settling in otherwise, however, has been eased by the arrival of an old friend from France.
Joining Larkeche in the Dark Blues squad is Billy Koumetio from Liverpool.
Larkeche and Koumetio go way back to youth football in their homeland and they played together for France U/20s.
He said: “We played some games together for the national team when we were young.
“He was also playing for Lyon and I was at PSG, so we played against each other.
“It was more in the national team when we really spent time together.
“So of course it was good he has come here as well. Before we both came here we were talking about the moves which was good.”
Homework
Both players were on media duty ahead of Saturday’s League Cup clash with Airdrieonians, both quick to joke at each other’s expense.
The strong relationship there was clear.
But Larkeche made sure to do his homework on Dundee by tapping up some of his other contacts.
The left-back knows former Dee loan striker Amadou Bakayoko, who spoke highly of the Dark Blues, and he also enlisted the advice of a Scotland striker at parent club QPR.
“I spoke with Luke McCowan. I spoke with him and I knew Bakayoko, who was here last season. He introduced me to Luke,” Larkeche revealed.
“From QPR, I spoke with Lyndon Dykes. I spoke also with [former Hearts player] Jimmy Dunne.
“They told me about the league, the level of football, the intensity and all of these things. It was a positive experience, all the talks.”
Family affair at Tannadice
Larkeche was thrust into the pressure of a Dundee derby immediately after signing for the club and has started both matches since his arrival.
“It was the first time my dad and my brother were in the stadium,” the Frenchman said of the derby.
“They came a few times to London, at Loftus Road.
“But there they said the intensity and the passion from the fans was crazy.”.
Conversation