Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin has effused praise for midfielder Jamiro Monteiro since the club secured him on loan at the start of March.
After weeks of waiting, the 25-year-old midfielder has been declared eligible for selection after his International Transfer Certificate was received by the club on Friday.
🚨ROSTER NEWS🚨
Midfielder Jamiro Monteiro has received his ITC and will be available for selection going forward. #DOOP #ThisIsPhilly #ThisIsGreatNews pic.twitter.com/fbsGUMa0Fk— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) March 29, 2019
The target date for Monteiro’s first appearance was last Saturday, but instead he had to watch from the stands as the Union beat the Columbus Crew 3-0.
“(Jamiro) was one of the happiest faces I greeted when we came off the field after the win,” Curtin said during his weekly press conference on Wednesday. “He was really excited and he’s part of this thing. It’s now a matter of when the fun can really start for him.”
Monteiro, who will initially be on loan from Ligue 2 side Metz for four months, brings a well-rounded skill set to the Union’s midfield, which already includes World Cup veterans Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya and Marco Fabian.
“We see his quality every day in training,” Curtin said. “”As a staff and as a coach, it’s rough for us because he’s special. We want the fans to see him. We want everyone to see him. He wants to be on the field. He adds real quality to the group.”
Monteiro has been training with the club since the loan transaction was announced after the first game of the season, and now fans get to see what he brings to the field, starting with Saturday’s road trip to Nippert Stadium to play FC Cincinnati.
“I think he adds a new special dynamic to our midfield,” Curtin said. “I was try to think of a comparison for him in the short time I’ve worked with him and I can’t come up with anything.”