Russian club Kuban sign Ajax`s Ozbiliz

Moscow: Russian football side FC Kuban has signed Ajax midfielder Aras Ozbiliz on a four-year deal, the Russian Premier League side said Thursday.

The 22-year-old playmaker played 26 games during two seasons with the Dutch giants before moving to join Dan Petrescu`s men for a reported fee of one million euros. The Armenia international, who became famous for scoring both Ajax`s goals in a 2-1 win over Manchester United in the Europa League in February, said that there was a big difference between the Dutch and Russian leagues. "In the Netherlands everyone thinks more about attack, the championship`s more technical with emphasis on fast control of the ball, the training too," he said on the Kuban website. "Here it`s clear that a lot of attention is paid to physical conditioning, that teams play in a stronger style." Despite the gulf in style, Ozbiliz added that he didn`t "see any special problems adapting". At Kuban, Ozbiliz will play alongside his Brazilian-born Armenia teammate Marcos Pizzelli, while Armenia striker Yura Movsisyan turns out for Kuban`s crosstown rivals FC Krasnodar. He has played once for Armenia, making his debut in a friendly against Canada in February where he scored a goal. IANS