John Eustace heaped praise on Yuki Ohashi and Owen Beck after Blackburn Rovers' dominant 3-0 win over Bristol City.
The Japanese forward is up to five goals in all competitions since signing in the summer. Despite a language barrier and an entirely new culture, Ohashi has made a quick transition to English football.
Rovers have benefitted from recruiting Ohashi mid-season. Whilst Eustace has been preparing his side in pre-season, the 27-year-old had already played over 15 league games.
That has also helped him settle quickly on the pitch. Eustace is delighted with the start he's made after two sublime finishes on Saturday.
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"I think we have to remember that we recruited him when he was still in-season in Japan. He was up and running and firing over there," Eustace said.
"He's come into our group and we've given him simple jobs. He has taken all the messages on board because he's up to speed.
"He's a very intelligent footballer and he's a very good finisher. It's down to the work on the training pitch, Keith (Downing), Damien (Johnson), Lowey (David Lowe) and Gards (Matt Gardiner).
"They're doing a lot of work and extra sessions with a lot of their units and it's nice to see that paying off."
Another impressive performer is Beck, who has produced two exceptional displays since signing from Liverpool. The loanee has taken full advantage of Harry Pickering's injury and, after these displays, the shirt is his to lose.
"I know I keep going on about it, it's about our squad and not individuals," Eustace said.
"Players coming in and doing their job. Beck has been recruited to come in and play a certain way for us. We could all see today that he's an exceptional young talent but we have to protect him and look after him properly.
"He's a very aggressive player, he plays on the front foot. He can defend but he's got good quality in the final third too. There is a lot more to come from him.
"He is a young player that we want to develop and help take to the next level. We have good competition in that left-back area now which is what I wanted."
The victory leaves Rovers unbeaten in their first five games for the first time since 2018/19. They are already halfway to matching their tally for home wins from last season too.
"It's down to the lads. We've had two weeks solid on the game plan and it was nice to see it come out," Eustace said on the performance.
"We had to mix things up with not knowing exactly who'd start, waiting to see who was fit. The lads have been working hard on the training pitch and you can see it coming out on the pitch.
"You have to have intelligent footballers. Baker likes to play as a number eight and, defensively, he had to drop in on that left side a little bit.
"When we had the ball he was in a position where he could affect games. The way they looked to build, he could apply pressure on them going forward. That's the hard work of the boys.
"We were disappointed last year with the home record and we have to improve on that. We have made a good start."
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