Blackburn boss Steve Kean was delighted by the impact of attacking midfielder Mauro Formica.
Coach says players have put in a hell of a lot of work
Blackburn boss Steve Kean was delighted by the impact of attacking midfielder Mauro Formica after watching his side defeat Kitchee in a pre-season friendly.
The Argentinian grabbed the first goal in their 3-0 win, heading home Brett Emerton's cross at Hong Kong Stadium, before second-half efforts from David Dunn and Nick Blackburn sealed third place in the Barclays Asia Trophy.
And Kean is hoping for much more this coming season from the 23-year-old who Rovers purchased from Newell's Old Boys back in January.
Intensity
He said: "When he first came to the club it was difficult because he had to change not only to the method of training at the club but also the intensity of the league.
"Even Michel Salgado's been quoted in the past that to change from a foreign league to the intensity of the Premier League is very, very tough, it even took Michel three or four months.
"For Mauro and Ruben Rochina, I think they've adjusted to the intensity, they're working really well and it's like getting two new players because they never featured too much in the first team last year.
"They're certainly showing signs they're well up to speed and that can only be good for everybody."
The manager was satisfied overall with his side's display against the Hong Kong side and feels the Barclays Asia Trophy experience has been positive for the squad.
Happy
"We're happy with the performance, especially in the second half," he said.
"It was difficult conditions in the first half and I felt as though we never really penetrated enough behind the full-backs. We tried to concentrate on switching play, playing a bit more with one or two touches rather than three or four touches and I thought the lads did that really well in the second half and I think we thoroughly deserved our win.
"The tour's been excellent from our point of view, not only do you get the heat to deal with but you get the intensity of the games, one against Villa and tonight was difficult as well.
"It's a well-organised tournament, we're delighted to be here. The lads have put in a hell of a lot of work, it's not just preparing for the games, we've done sessions in the gym the mornings of games, we were on the grass at the stadium last night until 10 o'clock."
