Aberdeen sign Ronald Hernandez on long-term deal - who is the Venezuelan international?

Aberdeen have completed the signing of Venezuelan defender Ronald Hernandez, the club have announced.

What is his background?

Aberdeen signed the player from Stabæk in the top flight of Norwegian football, where he'd spent the last two-and-a-half seasons, racking up 60 appearances in that time.

Ronald Hernandez playing against Lionel Messi in a friendly between Venezuela and Argentina.

Previously he had been contracted to Zamora in his homeland. He came through the ranks at the Venezuelan Primera División side before his 2017 move to Europe.

He has represented his country on 15 occasions, with 12 appearances coming last year.

Hernandez was also a runner-up with Venezuela at the 2017 Fifa Under-20 World Cup.

What are his strengths?

The first thing that stands out is the player's pace and quickness. He is very fast in a sprint, but he also has a lot of quickness in his movement, thanks to having an agile and athletic frame.

He has a lot of attacking enthusiasm and is almost always offering himself as an out-ball on the right-hand side.

He's good in tight areas thanks to quickness of movement and mind, and he's got strong technique on the ball.

Defensively he is dependable in one-on-one situations with opposing attackers. He stays tight to the dribbler and uses his body well to block off avenues of escape.

He's also plays the game intelligently and selflessly, often looking to cross or pass when a shot is perhaps on.

What are his weaknesses?

Hernandez will sometimes opt for the safer option than forcing the issue himself. In spite of his attacking instincts, his 2.03 crosses and 1.25 dribbles per game were quite low numbers for the Eliteserien last term. This is despite the fact that he excels in both with high percentages of successful crosses and dribbles.

Defensively, he is quite poor in the air with a success rate of only 44.58 per cent. Full-backs tend to struggle more than centre-backs, but this is low even for someone in his position.

He can also get caught too high up on the pitch on occasion. His rapid recovery pace makes up for it a lot of the time, but pace can only go so far when an opposing attacker has a 20-yard head start.

What has his new manager said about him?

“In a race against time, we’ve pulled out all the stops to get Hernandez to Pittodrie and part of the squad for this weekend and everyone is excited about his potential.

“He’s a young player, but he’s already got 15 caps for Venezuela, albeit in a number of friendlies. He’s played against the likes of Argentina with Messi and their stars and he’s done enough over the last couple of seasons to suggest that he’s going the right way.

“When I first spoke to Ronald, he was very keen to come and experience the Scottish Premiership with Aberdeen. Now, we have got him onboard with us, he can hopefully reach his full potential and be a valuable asset going forward.”

What did the player say?

“I am so excited to start my journey with the team, with Aberdeen. I cannot wait to get started.

“I want to continue to build myself and continue to improve my football and I see the Scottish League and Aberdeen as giving me a really great opportunity to show my own great football.

“I’m really happy. It’s a very important step for me to join this great club.”