WORCESTER Warriors director of rugby Dean Ryan insists his new signing Ben Te’o will be one of the best players in the Aviva Premiership next season.
Ryan said fans can expect the centre, who has recently been called up to the England squad to tour Australia this month, to make an impact when he arrives at Sixways ahead of the 2016/17 campaign.
The former National Rugby League player featured at Sixways in March last year when Warriors dispatched Leinster A to book their place in the British & Irish Cup final.
Ryan revealed it was during that game he noticed the ability Te’o possessed.
“Ben’s arrival will be huge for us. The lad is a superstar and we’re going to see one of the best players in England at Sixways,” Ryan said.
“To go straight into the England squad gives you an indication of what he’s got and for him to soon be playing here in a Warriors shirt is just fantastic.
“We observed Ben when he played for Leinster A at Sixways and saw he could do things that other players couldn’t. All of a sudden other clubs are wondering how they missed him and that’s the challenge of this club. We have to see players before anyone else does.
“The reality of the recruitment table means the top six or seven teams will have their pick first. We don’t want to be dealing with seventh or eighth choice players,” he added.
Ryan also believes the 29-year-old, who was recently named Player of the Season at Leinster, understands the journey Warriors are on.
“There’s no point in a big star coming here unless he gets what we’re trying to do and Ben got it straight away,” he added.
“To tell someone living in Ireland about what we’re doing here is a huge challenge, but we were transparent about the challenges and rewards and he wanted to come to Sixways.”