Brisbane have signed Austrian attacking midfielder Marcel Canadi ahead of their home A-League Men clash with Melbourne City.
Canadi's arrival has come at just the right time for the Roar who will be without attacking weapon Nikola Meleusnic due to a leg injury in Saturday night's clash at Redcliffe against the ALM competition leaders.
The Roar signed the 25-year-old from HNK Sibenik, who compete in Croatia's top division.
"I am from the central midfield, also attacking but also a little bit behind the strikers," Canadi said at Redcliffe before Roar training on Friday.
"I am a technical player. I am not the biggest player but I have good speed and technique and I will try to get used to the league as fast as possible and try to help the guys in the team."
The journeyman joined Borussia Moenchengladbach's youth squad in Germany as a 16-year-old before moving to Austrian Bundesliga club SC Austria Lustenau for three seasons.
He was also signed to Austrian clubs Amstetten and SV Ried before making the move to Croatia in mid-2022.
Canadi said he was not fazed by any expectations on his shoulders.
"I don't take it as pressure. It is football, whether I play in Europe or Australia," he said.
"It is always the game I love and that I started playing when I was five years old, but on another level."
Canadi met the Roar players briefly on Wednesday when he arrived in Australia, but Friday's training session was his first real opportunity to get to know them.
"As a football player you get used to a new environment and new people very fast so it will not be so difficult for me," he said.
"It is easy to get to know each other on the pitch."
Roar coach Warren Moon said that "all things going well" Canadi would play against City.
"He provides a great technical base in terms of what he can do with the ball and he has got great mobility and speed that we like to play with so he ticks a lot of boxes," Moon said.
"He is hungry to do well here. He has that attacking threat and can play wide areas. He can play as a 10 and he can play a bit deeper as well."
