Jazira confirm defender search

Martyn Thomas 08:14 07/07/2014
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  • Marshaling the troops: Eric Gerets (red) runs his eye over his new squad as they begin pre-season training.

    Al Jazira first team manager Ayed Mabkhout has admitted the club are on the lookout for an Emirati defender – but stopped short of saying a deal for Mohanad Salem was done.

    The Abu Dhabi club returned to training last night amid rumours of a bid for the Al Ain centre-back, who has not travelled with the rest of his club mates to Italy.

    With his older brother Mohammed on Jazira’s backroom staff, a move to the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium would therefore seem plausible.

    However, while Mabkhout revealed the Pride of Abu Dhabi were keen to bring in a local defender, he insisted that the players at the disposal of new coach Eric Gerets were already good enough.

    “We are looking for players who add value to the team, defenders,” he said. “If we can find any player who can add good value to the team and he is free or his club have no problem to transfer him to us, we can bring him here.

    “But until now there is nothing. We have a lot of good quality here in the team and we are happy with them and are going with them, Inshallah.”

    When asked specifically about Salem, who would appear to fit that criteria, Mabkhout added: “There is a lot of news and you will hear it on Mohanad and other players also, but until now Mohanad is not here.”

    Gerets oversaw his first training session in Abu Dhabi last night as a group of 35 players – including some youngsters from the academy – were put through a light workout.

    The 60-year-old Belgian will be given time to evaluate the merits of the squad with two friendlies bef-ore Jazira depart for a pre-season tour of Switzerland on August 3.

    Neither of the club’s two new signings, Mirko Vucinic and Jonathan Pitroipa, nor striker Ali Mabkhout, were at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.

    Vucinic and Pitroipa, signed at the end of last week from Juventus and Rennes respectively, are expected to join up with their new team-mates by the end of this week.

    Both arrive in the UAE with big reputations and Mabkhout is hopeful they can help the club’s push for a second league title.

    “We are expecting a lot of things from them,” he added. “Vucinic and Pitroipa are well known players and were selected with the consultation of the coach. Of course Vucinic played in Italy, and with a big team, so we are expecting the maximum from him.

    “Pitroipa took the best player [award] in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, so we are looking for the best from the best.”

    When they do arrive, the pair will join Jucilei and Abdelaziz Barrada as the club’s allotted four foreigners.

    Barrada was the recipient of a bouquet of flowers, and a round of the bumps, from his team-mates at the end of last night’s session following his wedding in France last month.

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