Head coach Mark Rudan admits he likes what he sees from triallist Yoo Byung-soo after the South Korea international shone in Wellington Phoenix’s 5-0 triumph over Napier City Rovers.
The 30-year-old assisted the Hyundai A-League club’s second goal for Roy Krishna and netted the third in the five-goal triumph at Palmerston North.
Yoo started his professional career with Incheon United in his home nation, before starring for Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal for three seasons, featuring in their Crown Prince Cup triumph in 2013.
Those displays earned him a move to FC Rostov in the Russian Premier League, where he played for three campaigns and lifted the 2014 Russian Cup.
The number nine forward is building up match sharpness with the Nix, having not played competitive football for 18 months, and Rudan admits he is getting closer to making a decision on Yoo, and fellow triallist Jacob Tratt.
“Yoo is in a different type of situation all together,” Rudan said.
“He’s not really played competitive football in 18 months. In patches today, he was on show.
“I certainly like him, but again I’m not willing to make a decision yet based on what I’ve seen so far. We’ve got time with these guys.
“Right now I’m not 100% sure. If they continue to go the way we expect them to go, there could be different views next week.”
Rudan was impressed what he saw in the Nix’s 5-0 victory but admits he still expects improvements before the 2018-19 Hyundai A-League season.
“There are a lot of improvement needed if we want to get to where we need to. There was some good things out there, but we’ve still got to improve,” Rudan said.
