VALENTINO Yuel thought his A-League career might be over before it really began.
Jets operations manager Joel Griffiths admits he was sceptical about Yuel after the striker was let go by Western United, having failed to crack a regular spot in their debut campaign.
Griffiths, a Golden Boot winner, thought at age 26 that the forward's time might have come and gone.
Yuel simply put his head down and worked hard.
A one-week trial at the Jets became two, then three, then four... On Sunday the former South Sudan refugee inked a two-year deal with the club.
"He has surprised me," Griffiths said. "For someone to play nine games, mostly off the bench, I was a bit sceptical about him coming in. He really, really surprised me as a footballer.
"He is an intelligent No.9. He leads the line well, his runs off the ball are perfect, he turns defences around ... I definitely think we have nicked one here, which is fantastic."
Jets interim coach Craig Deans has been equally impressed, not only with Yuel's ability but also his appetite to learn.
"The thing that stands out with Val is that his desire to be a footballer is huge," Deans said. "He wants information, he wants help, he wants to get better ... that is one of the best things you can have in a footballer.
"Every day he comes in with a smile on his face and wants to work. He will ask questions, he will come to you and say can I work on this or what do I need to improve. When you talk to him, he is all ears, he is listening.
"He didn't have a good experience at Western United in terms of minutes. He didn't get a lot of playing time. He is grateful that he has an opportunity here. Hopefully he can keep going and keep improving.
"His is still raw and plays on instinct. On Saturday, against the Roar [in a friendly] it was wet. The important part for him was to hold the ball up and make sure we kept possession. He still has to work on that and the physicality - using his body a bit better. That is stuff we can work on every day at training with him."
Yuel opened his goal-scoring account for the Jets in a 3-all draw against Macarthur and also proved a handful against Melbourne City and the Roar.
"He just has to keep learning," Griffiths said. "I have no doubts if he keeps doing what he is doing, he will score goals for us. It's about getting the combinations right with our midfielders and the way we want to play. We are on to something with him."
Yuel is a product of South Australian African refugee program Nile United which also helped develop Adelaide United brothers Al Hassan and Mohamed Toure and Pacifique Niyongabire and Central Coast Mariner Ruon Tongyik.
He starred for Adelaide City in the NPL, before joining Melbourne club Bentleigh Green en route to Western United.
"He has a great story to tell," Griffiths said. "Someone from a Sudanese background. How hard his family had it. There is a lot of upside to him. I love the boy and have so much time for him."
With wantaway attacker Bernie Ibini refusing to training, Yuel is likely to partner Roy O'Donovan in the season-opener against the Mariners on New Year's Eve.
"Val should have a huge impact with the way we want to play and the way the A-League is played," Griffiths said. "Abdiel Arroyo had all the tools but his runs weren't great. That is one of the reasons he didn't get as many goal-scoring opportunities.
"You can be the quickest man in the word but if you are not thinking about where that next ball is going to be, there is no point. That is one thing Val has."
Confirmation of Yuel's addition to the roster is likely to be followed by that of captain Nigel Boogaard and possibly keeper Jack Duncan, who have been training but are yet to formalise contracts.
However, with Ibini unlikely to play and Matt Millar keen to stay in England once his loan deal ends at Shrewsbury Town, Griffiths wants to bring in more strike power.
"I still feel we need another attacking weapon," he said. "I will be doing whatever I can to find that player. It is going to be difficult to find a local player of the calibre we are looking for. It's hard to finalise the team when we are looking for owners and we don't have a coach and all that sort of stuff."
Jets chief executive Lawrie McKinna has reopened talks with two potential buyers after a group fronted by prominent player agent Buddy Farah withdrew last week.
A-League clubs must have at least 20 players on their roster. If, as expected, Boogaard and Duncan sign, the Jets will have 19.
Ali Abbas, Jack Armson and Melbourne defenders Josh Wilkins and Dillon Jakupi have been training with club and remain in the picture.
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