New recruit Jordy Thomassen is in line to make his Adelaide United debut against Melbourne City on Saturday night, Marco Kurz confirmed to reporters.
The Dutch striker joined the Club on loan last week and is expected to play some part against City at AAMI Park.
Kurz praised the players for making Thomassen feel comfortable in his new surroundings and revealed he is fit enough to start from the outset if he chooses to.
“The boys have done a great job in integrating him into the team,” Kurz told a press conference.
“That’s a big compliment for the group and it’s never easy to come in as a new player.
“Jordy is one hundred per cent and it looks like he’s a good player and we’ll give him time to come into the team.
“It’s a first move to a foreign country but he’s ready, he’s in the squad and I’m happy to have him.
“… I don’t know if he’ll start or not but he’s ready for a starting position or also ready to come from the bench.”
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But Kurz urged fans to give the 25-year-old time to understand his teammates’ tendencies on the pitch and particular movements.
He also lauded his temperament and willingness to absorb new information.
“Normally the players from overseas are tactically very good,” he said.
“They know what they have to do but as I explained before we must give him time to integrate.
“There’s maybe a lot of pressure on the boy about because everyone asked for a long time, for a striker, ‘who’s the striker’, now he’s here but please give him time to integrate one hundred percent.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine because he’s alert, he’s focused, he’s asked questions and he’ll learn quickly. And that’s a good attitude to have to improve very quickly.”
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Kurz believed City’s recent acquisition of Jamie Maclaren certainly makes them stronger than before.
The German added he is anticipating another hard-fought contest in the battle for fourth place, with City’s predisposition to implement different formations and systems on a weekly basis. Moreover, United sit just two points clear of fifth-ranked Melbourne.
“I think (Jamie) Maclaren has showed in the past he’s a top striker,” he said.
“Now he’s back and he makes City stronger than before but we feel good and we feel confident in our position.
“I think we’re hungry to do better against them compared to the last games against them.
“In the first game against them in Round 8 we played well at home but we lost 2-0.
“Now I think it’s time to pick up the points, but it’ll be a hard game because they play very disciplined and don’t concede many goals.
“And it’s very hard to know which tactical line-up they will start with because their coach changes a lot of positions and changes a lot of systems, but we’ll prepare for each opportunity from them.”
Adelaide United face Melbourne City in Round 18 of the Hyundai A-League 2018/19 season on Saturday, 9 February at AAMI Park. Kick-off is at 7.20pm ACDT. Live on Fox Sports, 10 Bold and streamed on the My Football Live App and Kayo Sports.
