Osorio hails Vidal ahead of Copa quarter

Chile’s Arturo Vidal is one of the top three midfielders in the world, according to Mexico head coach Juan Carlos Osorio.

The two countries meet in the Copa America Centenario’s fourth quarter-final in Santa Clara on Saturday, with the winner through to meet Colombia in the semis.

The clash is a repeat of the group-stage meeting between the sides last year, when Vidal scored twice in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Miguel Herrera was the man in charge of Mexico on that occasion and his replacement Osorio has expressed his admiration for Bayern Munich’s Vidal.

When asked who from the Chile side he would like to add to his squad, Osorio replied: “Vidal. I think if we had another midfielder like him, in my humble opinion, similar to what Hector [Herrera] does for us or Andres [Guardado] does for us, we’d have a trident that I think very few teams are able to have.

“For example, France has [Paul] Pogba, but you don’t find another like him with the physical qualities, with the attacking opportunities, the box-to-box abilities.

“I think that’s something that Latin soccer, Hispanic soccer lacks. Not all the teams have that.

“So, I think that it’s notable the lack of this type of midfielder there is at the highest levels. So, I think Arturo Vidal is among the three best in the world.”