''He has all the attributes you would want for a player to make an impact in this competition. He is technically good, is a fine passer of the ball and he has a combative attitude and the sort of aggression that a lot of the good South American midfielders possess,'' Didulica said. ''He can play in midfield, but he can also fill a slot anywhere in the defence too. He surprised us how well he has done.''

Heart has stocked up on South Americans already in the off-season, signing former Melbourne Victory star Fred and his Brazilian compatriot Maycon to bring the number of Brazilians at the club to three. Alex Terra, a striker, joined last season.

Marrone, who was a first-team regular at right-back in Heart's debut season, is due to return from Italy today after spending several weeks at Cagliari. ''He's been there for three weeks and apparently he's done quite well. He played in three games and scored a couple of goals so its not unreasonable to expect that there might be some interest there,'' Didulica said.

Heart chief executive Scott Munn said there had not been any offers yet tabled for the 24-year-old.