Boro sign Uruguayan international Duo

Middlesbrough Futsal Club can confirm the signing of Uruguayan internationals Ignacio de Leon and Federico Fradl and the pair will join the club in March 2013.

De Leon has played for Middlesbrough before - in the 2009 season in which Boro made the playoffs and drew both games against Tranmere and Genesis. Fradl has played at the top level in Uruguay and also in two World University Championships for the Uruguayan national side along with de Leon.

Manager Damon Shaw is looking forward to working with the duo. "I'm delighted to have secured the services of Nacho [de Leon] and Federico [Fradl]. They are both top players with a lot of experience and are both good people who will fit into the team very well. Nacho's signing has been planned for a while, but Federico was a last minute thing and we had to rush through the international clearance, but I'm glad we have it all sorted for the pair to represent Boro this season.

"They will not only strengthen the squad, but they'll be able to pass on so much to the young players we have in the team and also within the academy - we'll get as much out of them as possible and I am sure they want to give as much as possible not only on the pitch but off it too."

De Leon can't wait to rejoin the club he played for in 2009 in the controversial playoffs and hopefully setting the record straight. "I'm really excited about signing with Boro, as this will be my first time playing abroad at club level [apart from the 2 games in 2009]. I'm looking forward to helping Middlesbrough to reach as high as possible in the super league, and why not fighting for the championship. I know that the club is working hard at promoting youth, so also I'd like to transfer the experience I gained over all these years to the youngsters. I will always be grateful with Damon Shaw for giving me the chance to play futsal in UK."

When asked what it means for the rest of the squad, Shaw was confident the boys would relish the chance to train and play alongside two experienced players.

"I'm 100 per cent sure that everybody will take the opportunity to learn and my philosophy is that training is the bread and butter of the team, matches should be seen as a bonus. Yes I will have more selection headaches, but the boys also know we want to win the league and Nacho and Federico will improve the squad as a whole. They will be welcomed with open arms, not least because of their attitudes to making the move happen in the first place - they both really want to come."

"Not just the players, but the fans will appreciate that and they'll get behind us. First things first, we have 4 games in which we have to qualify for the Super League. We had two good wins last weekend, but they will count for nothing if we don't pick up 3 points on Sunday in Liverpool.

Meanwhile, youngster Mikey McGee has signed on for the rest of the season making the total of new players registered today 4 along with Rui Fernandes.

Boro's next home game is on 17th February at Thornaby Pavilion against Super League rivals Leeds & Wakefield, kick off 1:30pm. £4 adults, £2 under-18s.

Photo - Federico Fradl in action for Uruguay








Posted by Mico Martic --> mico.martic@futsalplanet.com