After featuring in the second half of Edinburgh's friendly with Ulster at Goldenacre at the end of August, Manu is already impressed with his new surroundings.
And with competitive fixtures starting in earnest this weekend, the Kiwi admits he is ready for a new challenge.
"For me winning the Super Rugby trophy gave me closure there because I wasn't too sure if it was the right time to leave because becoming an All Black was always my dream," said Manu.
"My dream changed and I felt like I was ready for a new challenge and I really wanted to come overseas to Europe.
"Everyone was telling me to go to Japan, but I like physicality and I wanted to experience European rugby and see for myself how good it is here.
"I have only been training for two weeks, but I am pretty impressed with how good our forward pack is at Edinburgh. Our set-piece and maul is good and, as a No 8, it is good to have a solid front five in front of you.
"It was quite fun getting my first run-out last Friday and getting to know some of the boys and see how they play.
"They are trying to build a culture and a good squad here and, from what I have seen already, the players have a really professional attitude and Roddy Grant and Mike Coman are great leaders."
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