Soccer: Spaniard Sanchez has settled well in Welly

Dani Sanchez, centre, with his Phoenix teammates. Photo / Getty Images

If there is one shining light to emerge from the Phoenix's inconsistent start to the season, it could be Spanish import Dani Sanchez.

Past attempts to procure Latin talent have generally failed - think of Cleberson, George, Diego Walsh and 'Toto' Hernandez among others - but on the early evidence, Sanchez could be the real deal.

He has settled well, raves about the team culture and brings a crucial touch of vision and flair to a midfield dominated by destroyers.

Perhaps most importantly, he has no issue with the Wellington weather, unlike pre-vious imports from sun-soaked climes, after spending the past two years in Scotland with Premier League club Inverness.

"I'm enjoying it here, especially the lifestyle," says Sanchez, who is sharing a house with team-mates Jimmy Downey and Niko Tsattalios. "I enjoyed Scotland too but it was hard. In winter, you couldn't do anything in the afternoon; at 3pm, it was dark."

Now he lives like a Kiwi, even down to chipping in with Downey and Tsattalios to buy a van together for the princely sum of $2000. It can comfortably seat seven and often arrives at practice with five or six members of the team inside.

"It is pretty cool and players are always asking us for a lift to training," says Sanchez. "There is lots of banter and jokes, though the boys are always disappointed with my Spanish music."

Sanchez confirms the common refrain about the Phoenix being a close-knit bunch, different to any other club he has been at.

"From the first day, I was really surprised - it felt like a family," says Sanchez. "It's a good group of people and everybody is happy for each other, not just competitive."

The 27-year came to the Phoenix after trials at the Gold Coast. The Australian club were impressed but had filled their import quota and recommended him to Ricki Herbert. He scored twice in a pre-season friendly against Melbourne Heart, then shone against Perth and Newcastle and scored again in the unlucky loss to the Melbourne Victory in round four.

A hip flexor injury then sidelined him but he returned last week in Melbourne and played 75 minutes of the clash with the Glory last night.

He has an eye for a goal but is functional as well as flash. He always seems to be in the right position to receive the ball and invariably picks the right option when he gets it. He is extremely effective at bringing his team-mates into play and encourages players such as Paul Ifill to make runs, in the knowledge that the ball may end up at their feet.

"I hope I can offer something different to Browny [Tim Brown] and Vinnie [Vince Lia]," says Sanchez. "I like to keep and pass the ball; if you have the ball the other team can't hurt you."

Getting hurt was an everyday possibility in the highly physical world of Scottish football but the slender Sanchez (1.73m, 70kg) seemed to cope.

"It is very direct football there," says Sanchez. "They have a lot of good players but I think the culture is long ball, then get the second ball, then try to play."

Inverness Caledonian Thistle are perhaps most famous for their giant killing exploits over the years in cup competitions. One was a Scottish Cup victory at Celtic in 2000 which spawned one of the truly great Sun headlines - Super Caley Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious - and ended John Barnes' managerial career at Celtic Park.

At Inverness, Sanchez played under Terry Butcher, a great of British football with 77 England caps over a decade.

"I didn't even know who he was but some of the boys told me he was a legend," says Sanchez. "I felt very comfortable with him. He was a good motivator and a great coach. His message was all about hard work, fighting and never ever giving up."

Sanchez is thus far impressed with the standard of the A-League but doesn't know where he will be next season. He is unlikely to return to Spain, mentioning that he has friends in lower league clubs there that are owed five months of wages.

"I don't know about next year yet - it is too early to think about that," says Sanchez. "I'm happy here and we'll see what happens."