As the A-League Men's season heads into the pointy end of a troubled campaign, Macarthur FC coach Ante Milicic is pretty excited about what lies ahead from captain Ulises Davila.
The Mexican claimed a second-half double in Saturday's 3-1 win over local rivals Western Sydney at Campbelltown Stadium to snap a three-game winless run for the third-placed Bulls.
Davila's settling in period at Macarthur has been far from smooth with the ex-Wellington Phoenix star battling injury and COVID-19 disruptions in the early months of the campaign.
Back playing regularly and forging bonds with his new teammates on the field, Milicic thinks Saturday's display is just the start for the 2020-21 Johnny Warren Medallist.
"We're delighted to have him at our football club," Milicic said.
"Apart from what he does on the field, there's what he does around the training ground, the way he interacts with the players - particularly younger ones.
"Now he's starting to get a lot more fitter ... and getting used to playing with players around him.
"He was superb (on Saturday)."
The win over the Wanderers came after tough week for Milicic's team which included back-to-back trips to Melbourne to face Victory and City as well as a lack of training opportunities due to Sydney's wet weather.
As well as the three points, Saturday's game gave valuable minutes to players like English midfielder Jordon Mutch and veteran defender Aleksander Jovanovic.
With a week now until their next game against Central Coast in Mudgee, Milicic is hoping the extra preparation time will allow more players such as Danny De Silva to shake off injuries before taking on the Mariners.
"One or two are making good progress there, and you need squad depth in this competition because as you can see there's a curve ball thrown at you weekly," Milicic said.
