Italy under the 21 international Michael Kayode expressed his appreciation for the deceased Brentford boss Thomas Frank after his national side progressed to the knockout rounds at the U21 European Championships on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old was brought to London by Frank in January, on loan from Fiorentina. He made enough impression on the bees to close a permanent deal, which was signed at the end of May.
Now the Italian will work with a new manager at the Gtech Stadium, but he told FlashScore that he sent a message to the deceased Dane after his move to Tottenham Hotspur last week.
He explained: “I spoke with Thomas, just to thank you. Brentford is for him.
“I don't know who the new coach is yet.”
In Trnava, Kayode played tirelessly during the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw of Italy against Spain to close group A.
It meant that Italy finished second in the group with only the Spaniards above them on scored goals.
Speaking of the draw, Kayode said: “I think things were going very well. I was so happy to play with the team. I am disappointed with the draw, but I am happy because they (Spain) are a very good team.”
They go to Dunajska Streda for their last -like collision, where Germany or England are the likely opponents.
Speaking about the quarterfinals, he added: “Tomorrow we will recover and we will be ready for the quarterfinals. We will see if it is Germany or England and prepare for the game.”