Farfan future to be decided by Al Jazira coach

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  • On the move?: Jefferson Farfan

    Al Jazira boss Henk ten Cate will have the final say on whether the President’s Cup winners keep hold of Peru star Jefferson Farfan, according to executive-director Ayed Mabkhout.

    Farfan, 31, was told last month along with fellow foreigners Thiago Neves and Angel Lafita that they are available for transfer. But unlike the latter-mentioned pair, the €6 million (Dh24.2m) July 2015 buy from Schalke 04 has been in sensational form this summer after his debut Arabian Gulf League-campaign featured just two goals in nine appearances because of a serious ankle injury suffered on November 30.

    Goals against the likes of top-flight sides Go Ahead Eagles and Hamburg have reiterated the forward’s quality, with his displays not going unnoticed by the enamoured coaching staff as they finalise next term’s four-player foreign quota.

    “As I heard from the players, the coach and managers, Farfan has been excellent and one of the best players in the training camp,” Mabkhout said. “And Farfan is a big name, we do not need to test out Farfan.

    “Last year, he was unlucky because he was not ready in the beginning of the season because the whole team at that time was not good. And then he got a bad injury.

    “Now he’s doing well and, myself, I believe a lot in this player. He’s a really top player, but we should wait for the coach’s decision.”

    At the present time, lethal Montenegro frontman Mirko Vucinic – freshly recovered from serious knee ligament damage – and South Korea centre midfielder Park Jong-woo look set to be retained.

    One play definitively joining the push to convert cup success into a huge upturn on 2015/16’s dreadful seventh-placed league finish is Mbark Boussoufa. The Morocco playmaker was snapped up in July on a free transfer once his deal at Lokomotiv Moscow ended.

    Mabkhout challenged the 31-year-old player to grasp the creative responsibility in his new surroundings like he also did at Anderlecht, Anzhi Makhachkala and KAA Gent.

    He said: “In three seasons, he was the best player in Belgium. He’s a really talented player, he’s a leader, we think at Al Jazira he’s the player who can be the playmaker of our team and one who can also score.

    “He has good experience in Europe. He played against Hamburg and Hertha Berlin and did well against these big clubs.”

    The competitive action for the Pride of Abu Dhabi begins with September 3’s Arabian Gulf Cup-clash with holders Al Wahda. They then travel to Cairo on September 13 for the Arabian Gulf Super Cup with Al Ahli.

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