Los Angeles FC’s newcomer heaps praise on Carlos Vela

Los Angeles FC’s newest signing Andy Najar has heaped praise on teammate Carlos Vela during a recent chat session on Facebook Live.

Najar officially signed for the Supporters’ Shield holders on a free transfer this month and he is expected to make his debut during the ‘MLS is Back Tournament‘ which starts in Florida next month.

Ahead of the 26-team tournament, Najar has been involved in plenty of interactions on social media and in a recent Facebook Live chat, he was asked to compare Vela with Javier Hernandez, who plays for cross-town rivals Los Angeles Galaxy.

The Mexican duo have had plenty of experience playing in the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga in the past, but Najar said that he is not concerned over Hernandez as he has the ‘best player in the league’ in Vela alongside him.

“I have Vela on my side – the best player in the league. He can even play when he’s on the ground. Vela is on another level – the way he plays, the way he trains. What he does on the field during a game, he does in practice every day. He has surprised me,” he was quoted as saying by Diario Deportivo Diez.

Vela was the first player signed by Los Angeles when the franchise was officially formed and he made the move to the club from Real Sociedad at the beginning of 2018.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, he has undoubtedly been the best player in the division with a tally of 57 goals and 23 assists from just 71 outings for the California-based giants.

He was the recipient of the Landon Donovan MVP Award last year after bagging 38 goals and 12 assists for Los Angeles, who finished the regular season with the best points tally.

Los Angeles were unable to win the MLS Cup as they were eliminated in the Conference semi-finals by Seattle Sounders, but they should be one of the favourites to win the forthcoming 54-game tournament.

Najar has recently been added to the squad and he should prove a quality performer for Los Angeles with his ability to play anywhere on the right side of the field.

Injuries contributed to his limited playing time with Anderlecht over the past eight years, but he will be hoping to put his troubles behind him ahead of his return to Major League Soccer, where he made his debut with DC United more than a decade ago.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com