Van der Vaart wowed by Rudnevs´ ability

Rafael van der Vaart has praised Artjoms Rudnevs, saying the Hamburg forward can be unstoppable on top form.

Latvia international Rudnevs scored the only goal of the game in Hamburg’s 1-0 victory over Stuttgart last week and has impressed since signing for the Bundesliga club from Lech Poznan in 2012.

Van der Vaart was quick to hail the 25-year-old and highlighted his ability to strike the ball cleanly as one of his finest attributes.

“I have already seen some talented forwards in my career – but if Rudi catches the ball correctly, one would struggle to prevent it from being a goal,” he told a press conference.

The Netherlands international also praised Rudnevs’ willingness to run with the ball, citing his worth ethic as the reason for his goal in the recent win over Stuttgart

“It went wrong 10 times for Rudi – but he tried it an 11th and then it didn’t,” he said.