The former Sheffield United youngster has arrived at Bluetongue from the South Yorkshire outfit and despite only getting off the plane from the UK on Saturday night was given a 10 minute run out against Sydney FC on Monday night.  

The 22-year-old can play in either a defensive or midfield role and once the necessary paperwork is completed, McKinna is confident he's landed a quality capture.  

Labelled as 'strong, quick and athletic' on the official Sheffield United website, the player has overcome injury problems and is looking for a fresh start.  

McKinna told au.fourfourtwo.com: "It's done and dusted, we're just waiting on his visa. He came on against Sydney and showed a few nice touches, he's a good passer of the ball and he sees things. That's one of the reasons we've signed him.  

"He backs himself in the centre of midfield or a wide role. When he was here on trial before he did really well with the ball but needed a bit of work defensively.  

"Sheffield had high hopes for him but injury put him back a bit and he didn't really start playing again until December.  

"But he's here and I'm hoping that the likes of Nik Mrdja, Matt Simon and Dylan Macallister will thrive on that kind of deft touch through the middle."  

McKinna was also impressed with the contribution of triallist Gary Wales against Sydney FC, a match which also saw opportunities for fellow hopefuls Lim Dong Sup and Milos Lujic.

The Mariners are heading for Canberra later this week where they will continue their pre-season preparations with a match against Belconnen United.