Al Ain manager Zlatko Dalic says new signing Danilo Asprilla fits the club’s policy of recruiting emerging talent.
The 26-year-old Colombian winger joined the UAE champions from Bulgaria’s Litex Lovech on Monday after agreeing to a two-and-a-half year contract.
While Asprilla may not have previously been known to Al Ain supporters, the Garden City club scouted him extensively during the past six weeks and decided he represented the ideal replacement for the outgoing Ryan Babel.
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Asprilla, who reportedly rejected offers from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli and several European sides, trained with his new teammates for the first time on Tuesday. He is available for Friday’s Arabian Gulf League encounter at Al Dhafra, as Al Ain seek to improved upon their three-point lead at the top of the table.
Dalic, though, said there was no rush to play his new signing, adding: “I hope that my decision will prove to be the right one, as I have a lot of information about the player and I know he possesses the qualities we need to reinforce our team.
“We had sent scouts to monitor the player at his old club, and I would to thank Al Ain’s board for backing my decision to recruit Asprilla. As I said, I was in need of a young and improving player and not a big name to help us reach our targets this season.
“We will carry out new work with Asprilla and I hope that the player feels as happy at Al Ain as I feel his teammates do. We are playing for Al Ain’s badge. There is no time for celebration as we have a match in three days and we must work together to maintain our good results.”
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