Rui Faria delighted with Mandzukic’s arrival

Doha, Qatar: Al Duhail SC coach Rui Faria was delighted that the club finally managed to sign Croatian star Mario Mandzukic.

The 33-year forward, who joined from Juventus last week, will give Duhail a big boost as they look to regain the Qatar Stars League title as well as in the AFC Champions League, which has eluded the Red Knights.

 "I welcome Mario Mandzukic to Al Duhail and I'm very happy with the deal. Everyone knows his huge technical ability and strength that made him a big success at some of the top European clubs. He will be a big addition to our team," said Faria at the official unveiling of Mandzukic.

"We were looking to sign him for a while and I am happy we succeeded in doing it. I wish him success in his new experience," said Faria.

Duhail are leading the Qatar Stars League table with 29 points, four ahead of second-placed Al Rayyan, but Faria said they have been missing plenty of goal-scoring chances.

And the Portuguese coach, a long-time assistant to Jose Mourinho, was expecting Mandzukic to solve that problem.

"Mario is an important player with great experience and his presence with us is, of course, a great benefit for the team.

"We try to control the match, we always try to attack and we create many scoring opportunities, but there is a problem in finishing and the presence of a player such as Mario will give help us solve this problem," said Faria.