Tony Docherty hoping Dundee team will reap benefits from Monterrey partnership

Dundee manager Tony Docherty hopes their partnership with Mexican club Monterrey can help them steal a march on their rivals after they brought in a 19-year-old midfielder on loan.

Defensive midfielder Cesar Garza has arrived on Tayside ahead of a January loan move and comes with first-team experience with the five-times CONCACAF Champions League winners.

Docherty said: “He’s one that we identified, a really talented young player. He was part of the Mexico Under-20 CONCACAF Championship winning team.

“He’s played 12 times for Monterrey and he’s someone that we thought he fits in with our kind of style of play. He’s a really combative midfielder, real passion, really loves getting in about it, tackling and winning things.

“He’s a good character. Obviously our experience with Antonio Portales and the amount that we’ve watched him, we’re confident we’re bringing in a really good player there and again, it will increase competition for places.

“Antonio was a young player at Monterrey himself, so he knows, he’s been here, he’s settled in.

“He’s come in and he’s met the rest of the boys and he’ll train with us over the next couple of days, but really excited to get him in the building.”

Dundee owners Tim Keyes and John Nelms secured the club’s partnership with Monterrey just last month.

Docherty said: “The thing I really need to commend the club on, particularly John and Tim, we’re always thinking outside the box. Where can we look at another market?

“We did that through the research we did looking at Antonio when we brought him and Diego Pineda across and we’ve continued to look in that market and we’ve established a partnership with a fantastic club in Monterrey.

“The by-product of that is that we’ll get good players in, they’ll get good experience coming and playing in Scotland and it’s just another way you’re trying to be a wee bit ahead of the game.”

Docherty’s attacking options for the Boxing Day home fixture with Ross County were boosted on Monday when both Oluwaseun Adewumi and Simon Murray trained.

Adewumi missed Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Rangers through injury and illness restricted Murray to a substitute’s appearance.

Dundee are looking for a fourth consecutive home win and Docherty said: “We love playing at home. The fans play a huge part in that and the festive period is for the fans.

“Everybody’s off on holiday, they come along for the games, it’s our job to be professional and to do as much as we can to make that four wins in a row.”