By Pramod Prabhakaran
Doha: Qatar striker Akram Afif will make his first appearance for a La Liga club when he boots up for Sporting Gijon today at 7.15pm.
The teenage forward became the first player from Qatar to sign up with a La Liga team when he signed the dotted line with Villarreal CF.
He was later loaned to Primera División side Sporting and will spend the the 2016-17 season there.
The Yellow Submarine added that Sporting will have no purchase option at the end of the loan deal, with the Castellón club keen to retain Afif's rights, as.com reported on its website.
Akram Afif was earlier playing for Al Sadd, the Doha team for which former Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez plays.
According to the report by as.com, the player spent the pre-season with Villarreal first team under Marcelino and put in some good performances.
“The 19-year-old is happy to take on defenders and has searing pace to add to his dribbling prowess and can play in attack or on either wing,” the report added.
He received many offers from Primera División clubs, who were keen to take him on loan and Afif finally settled on Sporting, who are managed by Abelardo Fernández.
The Peninsula
