Young Colombian midfielder Yaser Asprilla has flown to Austria to join the first-team squad, and head coach Rob Edwards is looking forward to adding him to the group.

“What I’ve seen of him on videos and from what people have said to me, he’s an exciting player,” he said. “He’s got that bit of magic, a bit of street football about him.

“I’m excited about him, and I’m sure fans are too, but we also have to have an element of patience with him. He’s a young lad coming over from a different country. We have to make sure we look after him and ensure he settles in properly.

“It’s a new way of life for him. He’s from a different continent. That means he will go through a lot of change in a short space of time, but the one thing that doesn’t change is getting out on the grass and playing football. Once he gets over that white line, he’ll be showing us what he can do.”

The club have talked recently about the need and desire to give more young players their chance in the first team, and Asprilla gives Edwards another option in that area.

“I am looking forward to working with him because he clearly has real ability,” said the head coach. “If he’s doing the business, he’ll get the minutes. I want to field a young, vibrant team, while always ensuring we have the elements of experience and know-how in the team.

“I want our team to be exciting, playing in a way that fans look forward to coming to watch us and feel uplifted by what we do. The fans want to see players who excite them – probably the exact opposite of what I was as a player!

“Hopefully Asprilla hits the ground running. We just have to be ready to give him time to acclimatise to a totally new way of life.”

The training camp in Austria has allowed new striker Vakoun Bayo to spend time getting to know his new teammates.

“Every day he looks more and more settled in,” said Edwards. “He’s got an excellent attitude and he’s been scoring a few goals in training, which is always what you want to see from strikers.

“He’s got a real willingness to work, and he listens hard to what we are saying to him. He’s very much a team player, which is what I want – players who have individual talent but want to work for the team.

“When he leaps, he certainly does get up well. He’s scored a couple of really good headers in training. He’s a player who we can hit with first balls, and certainly one we will want to be getting crosses in the box for.”