Sydney FC boss Patrick Kisnorbo has praised the impact Japanese forward Takahiro Sekine has had since joining the club.
The two-time AFC Champions League Elite winner is one of the biggest names to have arrived this Isuzu UTE A-League off-season having inked a three-year deal after departing Japanese powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds.
Handed a start against Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in the Sydney Super Cup, the 31-year-old bagged his first goal for the club in the 54th minute, slotting home to give the Sydney FC fans a glimpse of what’s in store this coming season.
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The number 14 will now be looking to take that positive form into Sunday’s Australia Cup Round of 16 clash with fellow Isuzu UTE A-League side Brisbane Roar, with Kisnorbo revealing he’s been impressed with what he’s seen from the Japanese creator thus far.
“I think with Taka (Sekine), it’s trying to get him as fit as possible,” Kisnorbo said, when speaking ahead of the Australia Cup clash in Queensland.
“Obviously he didn’t come in at the start, so look, he has transitioned great.
“There’s still a lot of work for him to do, but you know, he’s settled into the squad really well.
“He trains the right way, with the right intensity, and we’re just trying to get him as fit as possible leading into the the season, but he’s adapted really well.”
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The Sky Blues cruised through to the Australia Cup Round of 16 after dismantling Western Australia’s Bayswater City 5-1 in the Round of 32, with prodigious young attacking talent Tiago Quintal bagged a hat-trick in the win.
Also starring in that win were fellow youngsters Akol Akon and Mathias Macalister whilst Joe Lacey and Ethan Dyer were rewarded with minuted off the bench and Kisnorbo says the youngsters will get another chance to shine this Sunday.
“I think they’ve all done well. They’ve all had to adapt really well. You know, a lot of them were in the youth team set-up last season, and I brought them in for pre-season, which they’ve done really well.
“But again, there’s still a lot of work to do with them to understand what we want to do and how we work.
“The key thing for me is adaptation, and they’ve done that. But they need to keep going and pushing and working hard.”
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