Football: Bay United sign Ghana/US pro striker Adjei jnr

Ghana-born, US based Samuel Adjei jnr has arrived in Napier to provide Bay United with some impetus as premiership soccer striker. Photo/Warren Buckland

Playing out of position and on foreign soils come with the territory for Samuel Adjei jnr but there's one thing he never loses familiarity with — the goalmouth.

Adjei is the latest artillery in Thirsty Whale Hawke's Bay United's arsenal in their ISPS Handa Premiership soccer campaign as they prepare to host arch rivals Waitakere United in a 2pm kick-off at Park Island, Napier, this Sunday.

The 24-year-old Ghanaian/American professional was introduced to teammates, franchise board members, sponsors and the media in conjunction with a function to announce the National Aquarium Centre, along Marine Parade, Napier, also was coming on board as a sponsor.

The son of former Ghanaian international defender Samuel Adjei is making his first trip to New Zealand.

"I've travelled the world for the past five years so I'm pretty excited to see what this part of the world was about," said Adjei who arrived in Napier on Monday.

So what is the offspring of someone adept at putting up the shutters doing scavenging around the coal face?

Adjei jnr laughs before revealing his paternal uncle, Lawrence, was a professional winger who plied his trade in Germany's Bundesliga.

"He had a bigger influence on me than my dad."

But growing up he always harboured a desire to play up front after watching the theatrics that went with the thrill of scoring goals.

However, Adjei snr was instrumental in moulding his son's mindset to counter the regimented thought processes of defenders.

What makes him a dangerous species is Bay United coach Brett Angell offering the portfolio of striker.

"I have to get some goals or create some opportunities or help the team."

Born in Ghana, he emigrated with his family to the United States.

Hawke's Bay has already struck a chord with the player who finds it climatically alluring compared with his hometown of Newark in New Jersey where his father and mother Mary still live and the senior Adjei coaches for a "big soccer company".

"There's been a lot of football, football, football in my family," the son said.

The former USA under-18 (2010) and Ghana under-20 (2014) international has played for Danish club Naestved for the past three years.

He's coming off scoring eight goals for the Danish club, albeit playing on the left wing.

Adjei, who trained with Sheffield United (2009) and Derby (2010) in England as well as LOSC Lille (France, 2010), is a product of the New York Red Bulls and also played collegiate soccer at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York.

The 2014 business marketing degree graduate isn't apprehensive about embracing Angell's full-press attack and defend style of play although he has had a taste of that philosophy in Denmark from different coaches.

"There won't be anything that I haven't done before with all my other coaches," he says, only too happy to add to his resume.

Skilful and strong, an ambidextrous Adjei loves to find the net but hastens to add he isn't selfish because he's accustomed to buying into the collective culture.

"I work for the team, you know, so if I have to defend I will."

His fitness and agility are things myriad coaches have highlighted on the internet.

Adjei, who is eligible to represent both Ghana and the United States at the elite senior level, believes he has experienced the best of both worlds — the physical and technical aspects for an all-round education in the beautiful game.

With the Bill Robertson-captained Bay United registering two losses on the trot, the overseas import striker has the opportunity to become an instant hit if he plants a few goals into the net against Waitakere United on Sunday.