Australia NewsGold Coast's Rio Raid |
EXCLUSIVE Miron Bleiberg is hoping to uncover the next Fred with a two-week mission to Brazil – and the Gold Coast United manager's host is none other than Fred's agent.
"Miron is currently here with me in Rio," agent Steve Panopoulos tells au.fourfourtwo.com. "We have spent the last few days watching countless games and players.""The plan is for Miron to get as much exposure to Brazilian football as possible so that he can get a feel for the different players and levels."
With five visa spots up for grabs it's highly likely at least one or two will be filled by Brazilian imports.
However, if history is anything to go by in the A-League, Brazilian players aren't guaranteed success stories.
In season two, Fred shone at Melbourne Victory but Alessandro and Claudinho failed to impress.
Similarly, in season three, Felipe and Daniel stood out at Wellington while Cleberson and George Paladini were soon off-loaded.
By going to Brazil and meeting with the players – rather than watching highlights reels on DVD – Bleiberg hopes to find players who have the right attitude to make it in the A-League.
"By doing this, when he sees a player, he can compare with others he has already seen and at different levels to be able to come to an educated decision on players' abilities and the chances of them being successes in the A-League," adds Panopoulos.
Bleiberg heads to England after Brazil where it's expected he'll look at Aussie Joel Porter among other players.
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