Uruguay international Gaston Ramirez began his career at Penarol before making his name to Serie A Bologna. After a frustrating spell with Southampton, he has a chance to rekindle his Premier League career with Hull City. Brad Rial reports.
Gaston Ramirez became the second Uruguayan to join Hull City on transfer deadline day, making the move from Southampton to East Yorkshire just a few hours after fellow countryman Abel Hernandez.
The move to sign up Ramirez on a season-long loan deal may have come as a surprise to many supporters, but with Robert Snodgrass out for the season, it is easy to see why Steve Bruce opted to take a chance on a supremely gifted 23-year-old who has yet to realise his full potential.
At his best, attacking midfielder Ramirez will bring much-needed guile and craft in the final third. He is excellent with the ball at his feet and can spot the killer pass to unlock a defence.
Ramirez has yet to prove he can cut it in the Premier League, however, and after a frustrating spell at Southampton, the move north offers him a chance to finally find his feet in England.
Like Hernandez, Gaston Ramirez began his professional career at Penarol in Uruguay, making his senior debut at the age of 18. After just a year of playing in his homeland, he moved to Bologna for a fee of 2.5-million euros and it was in Italy where people began to sit up and take notice of his talents.
In his first two seasons at the club, Ramirez was Bologna's standout performer and helped them to sixteenth and ninth-placed finishes in Serie A.
He made his full international debut for Uruguay while still only 19 and has gone on to represent his country at the 2012 Olympics, the 2013 Confederations Cup and this year's World Cup. He has 31 caps to his name but was left out of Oscar Tabarez's latest squad.
Ramirez's performances for Bologna unsurprisingly drew admiring glances from some of Europe's biggest clubs. He was deemed one of the continent's brightest young prospects and his signature was very much sought after.
In 2012, after reported interest from Liverpool and Tottenham came to nothing, Ramirez joined newly promoted Southampton for a fee believed to be in the region of £12m.
After a bright start at St Mary's, Ramirez has struggled for consistency over the past twelve months and, under former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino, he invariably found himself on the bench.
Last season he started only four league games and suffered a frustrating setback in January when he damaged ankle ligaments.
A loan move was a win-win for both clubs but, with question marks at Southampton over his ability to adapt to the "pace" of the Premier League, and Hatem Ben Arfa now also on the books, Bruce will have to work out just how he will accommodate Ramirez in his hard-working side.
Even so, while Ramirez must yet show he can perform consistently in England, if he is able to recapture the form he showed in Italy, when he contributed 12 goals in two seasons, Hull City could have a genuine match-winner on their hands.
• Gaston Ramirez must add consistency to unbelievable skills
