Phil Neville Alejandro Pozuelo Inter Miami GFXGetty / GOAL

'We're not playing FIFA 22 anymore!' - Neville says Pozuelo signing shows smarter Inter Miami strategy

Phil Neville says the signing of Alejandro Pozuelo shows that Inter Miami have adopted a smarter transfer strategy, with the head coach insisting "we're not playing FIFA 22 anymore".

Pozuelo was officially confirmed as an Inter Miami player on Thursday, with Toronto FC trading the Spaniard to the DRV PNK Stadium for £150,000 ($200,000) in general allocation money.

The Miami outfit have been accused of focusing too much on big names in the past, having brought in the likes of Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain, but Neville believes that Pozuelo's arrival shows they are now heading in the right direction.

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Neville hails Inter Miami's capture of Pozuelo

The Inter Miami manager expressed his delight over the signing during his latest press conference, telling reporters: "It's not just not playing FIFA 22 anymore. We're actually going through processes with people. A lot of hours, a lot of scouting, we're watching a lot of football, we're talking to a lot of people and we're bringing the right people and characters to the team.

"Certain players stand out when you're an opposition manager and he was one. I think about [Hany] Mukhtar, about Carles Gil, think about those levels of players that are game changers in this league.

"Pozuelo is that player. When you see the reaction of our players when they found out 24 hours ago, and you speak to some of the experienced players that played against him and they say, 'Well, that's the best player I've played against, the best player in the league, MVP of the league'.

"You're bringing in a certain type of player which sends a real strong statement about where we want to take this football club and this team."

Sporting director Chris Henderson added: "I remember back early in the league when Freddy Ljungberg was here, he had moved from Seattle to Chicago, but you're right: there isn't a lot of of key DP-type players that are moving from team to team.

"When this became a possibility for us, he fit our positional profiles, what we were looking for, It's one of those opportunities, Phil and I talk and the staff talks and we look at and see if it's the right choice for us and Alejandro was a player that fit for us.

"We were happy to get it over the finish line. Some of these deals are really difficult to do but at the end of the day, we're happy to get him."

What will Pozuelo bring to Inter Miami?

Pozuelo will bring three years of experience in MLS with him to Inter Miami, who are currently sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference - four points ahead of his former club Toronto.

Neville will hope that the 30-year-old can lift them towards the top of the table, having seen him record 26 goals and 31 assists in 88 appearances during his time at BMO Field.

Pozuelo previously played in his homeland in La Liga with both Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano, and also has some Premier League experience on his CV after turning out for Swansea in 2013-14.

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