Malky Mackay believes midfielder Victor Loturi is ready to make an impact in Ross County’s side.
Canadian Loturi joined the Staggies in the summer after making the switch from Cavalry FC in his homeland.
The 21-year-old got off the mark with a stunning goal in a 7-0 Premier Sports Cup victory over East Fife, in his first start for the club.
Loturi has found action harder to come by in the league, having made just one start and two substitute appearances.
Mackay accepts Loturi is taking time to adapt to the rigours of the Scottish game, but he insists the midfielder has caught the eye with his progress in recent weeks.
The Staggies boss said: “I think Victor is starting to really settle in.
“It hasn’t been easy because he has come over from Canada. His brother (William Akio) has come in as well which is good.
“In the pre-season games he got a taste of it and he’s still getting up to the intensity of the Scottish league.
“It’s the intensity of training which is different for him, he says that himself.
“There’s clearly talent there, because he keeps the ball so well, it’s just getting him up to the way of things at the club and once that’s there, getting him into the way of things in the league.”
Canadian has faced tough early Premiership tests
Loturi showed his versatility against St Johnstone last weekend, when he was pitched in at right back to replace Keith Watson in the second half.
Mackay says Loturi will only benefit from the early glimpses of Premiership action he has had.
Mackay added: “It’s a little unfortunate, because a few of the games he has played in have been the Old Firm games, and those are the biggest tests.
“He only came off at halftime at Ibrox because he had been booked, and I didn’t need a sending off at that point, but those games are tough for everybody.”
Practice match at Victoria Park a valuable exercise
Mackay revealed Loturi was a standout performer in a practice match held at Victoria Park in order to compensate for the postponement of the game against Motherwell earlier this month.
The Staggies boss insists it was a valuable exercise, which allowed him to see his players in a different light.
Mackay added: “I was delighted with how he did in the practice match last Saturday, and his brother did well as well.
“It’s great that it was on our pitch, because it’s a beautiful surface.
“It was 11 v 11, in two different shapes, then we were moving people about and changing shapes against each other.
“We had linesmen and a referee as well, so we framed it as if we were in a game.
“There are patterns of play, so people are not taking risks in their own box that you could do in training but not in a Saturday.
“I had a different perspective sitting at the back of the stand and just watching for 20 minutes, then going in and talking to them about it and moving things around.
“It was a really good exercise because it also got the guys breathing hard by putting them into a match situation for an hour on a big pitch as opposed to the smaller games we do in training.”
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