Brescia form Lithuanian link

Italian outfit Brescia Calcio and Lithuanian 1. Lyga club FK Ekranas have forged an agreement that paves the way for a long-term link between the clubs.

First fruit
Lithuanian international defender Marius Stankevicius, who signed a five-year deal with Brescia in January, was the first fruit of the partnership, as he became the first Lithuanian to play in Serie A.
 
Duo training
Since then Ekransas's Lithuania Under-19 defender Edgaras Rukštele and striker Vitalijus Kavaliauskas have spent ten days training with Brescia under the watchful eyes of the Italian club's coaching staff. As part of the agreement, Ekranas will hold an annual pre-season training camp at Brescia’s facilities in Italy, the first of which begins on Friday.

'Huge step forward'
Ekranas head coach Virginijus Liubsys said: "I am convinced we made a huge step forward when we signed this agreement. Many players thought that playing in Italy is a dream which would never come true. Now, they see that we have a friend in the elite European league, which is an enormous motivation for the lads."

Similar deal
In November 2001, Brescia Calcio signed a similar agreement with English side Hull City AFC, whose chairman Adam Pearson explained: "For Brescia, either their players can come over and gain experience or they can join us permanently and Brescia will take a large chunk of any fee if we sell them. That's a huge advantage for a lower-league club with ambition."