Fiorentina midfielder Josip Ilicic has thanked manager Paulo Sousa for reinvigorating his Viola career.

The 27-year-old joined the Florence club in 2013, and Ilicic admitted that he was annoyed that he did not get the playing time that he expected since the move from Serie A rivals Palermo.

However, the Slovenian international has praised Sousa for renewing his belief, and he says that the manager's positive attitude has had a significant impact on the entire Fiorentina squad.

The midfielder told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "When I chose Fiorentina, I thought that I'd get to play regularly all the time, but when that didn't happen I was upset. In fact, I was angry.

"A player with bad thoughts in his head cannot give his best. The most difficult moment was being jeered by many fans in my own stadium. I didn't give up, though, and then Sousa arrived.

"From the first day the Coach made me feel important. His greatest strength has been winning over the respect of the locker room. Just look at the statistics, you'll see every player has started at least one game this season."

Ilicic has scored six goals and created three assists in 12 appearances in all competitions this season.