New boy Mrabti settling in quickly at St Andrew’s

KERIM Mrabti has impressed Birmingham City boss Garry Monk following his free transfer from Swedish club Djurgardens IF.

“He’s really settled into the group,” Monk said. “This period has been good for him because he just needs training and football in his legs.

“He’s a fit lad anyway and it’s not been too long since he’s played football. He’s been training all week and looks sharp and he’s looked fitter every single day.

“It’s been a chance for him to learn everything we do and put that in place for the coming games.

“Whether that’s starting or being an option off the bench, I will have to decide that.

“It will be a case of what we do with him to keep giving him the football without going too far too soon.”

Monk added the Sweden international (right) had fitted well into what is a small and extremely tight-knit group.

“These players have made a huge effort this year to make sure that what’s coming out of that changing room is a positive thing,’’ he said.

“They are generally a very close group and very supportive. They’re competitive and want to do well and Kerim has come into that and seen that and fitted straight in. He’s exactly the right type of character from a football perspective.

“When we are looking for that type of player to fit into what we need to do and help the players that are already here, Kerim fits into that.”