Duffy reinforces rearguard with Luca loan
Morton manager Jim Duffy says he was delighted to be able to bolster his defensive options by bringing Luca Gasparotto back to the club.
Canadian centre-half Gasparotto, who spent the 2015/16 campaign at Cappielow, making 25 appearances, this morning completed an emergency loan from Falkirk.
And with club captain Lee Kilday out with a long-term ankle injury and Thomas O’Ware currently sidelined due to a thigh problem, the Cappielow gaffer was keen to reinforce his rearguard.
Speaking exclusively to gmfc.net, Duffy said: “Luca Gasparotto has signed until January initially and then both parties will review the situation.
“With Paul Hartley going in there, he’s got his own guys in mind, so I spoke to him about it and he was happy to allow Luca to come to us and Luca was delighted to take the oppportunity.
“With the long-term injury to Lee [Kilday] and the fact Thomas O’Ware was injured last week and missed the game as well, we don’t really have any natural cover.
“Hopefully Thomas won’t be too long, but we don’t know. Therefore, we’re a wee bit stretched in the defensive area, so I just felt it was important to get someone in who is good enough to compete when everyone is fit.
“Luca is more than good enough to go and compete for a first-team place. That’s what you want. And he’s been here before.
“I know what kind of boy he is; he knows us – a good number of the boys and myself and Craig – so it should be a straightforward transition into what we’re trying to achieve.
“And at this moment in time we are looking for someone who is available to play right away rather than bed them in for a few weeks. It’s also a good opportunity for him to get back playing more regular first-team.
“With the likes of Michael Tidser and Jai Quitongo out and Connor McManus just getting back, we are stretched and I felt it was important to try and get a couple of players in.
“We’ve managed to get one in and we’ll see if we can bring in someone else as well, maybe at the top end of the pitch, but they’re hard to find and teams aren’t keen to let them go out. But we’ll keep looking.”
Gasparotto arrives from fellow Ladbrokes Championship outfit Falkirk, and Duffy confirmed the centre-half will not be available for selection in the meeting between the clubs on Saturday 25 November.
He explained: “We play Falkirk in a couple of weeks. You agree in principle that the player won’t play against their parent club, and I have no issue with that.”
Image: David Bell
