ANGEL Rangel reckons Jonjo Shelvey will add an extra dimension to Swansea City's midfield this season.
The England international made a £5 million switch from Liverpool over the summer looking to play a more prominent part after finding himself on the fringes at Anfield.
And Rangel believes the 21-year-old could make a real impact in South Wales.
Shelvey produced an eye-catching showing on his competitive Swansea debut against Malmo.
The former Charlton youngster cut an impressive figure as he sent piercing crossfield balls arrowing towards wingers with pinpoint accuracy.
In an all-action display, Shelvey darted from end to end, combining defensive duties with attacking intent.
And Rangel thinks a player with such dynamism will add something extra to Swansea's engine room.
"You can see he's enjoying it," said the right-back.
"He gives us something different with his long passing.
"He's a box-to-box player and he comes from Liverpool which means he's a good footballer.
"He's still young and I think he's going to be very important for us."
Michael Laudrup has added further selection options with a raft of other summer signings.
Jordi Amat will provide competition for a centre-back spot, while the likes of Jose Canas and Alejandro Pozuelo have bolstered the midfield department.
But it is the arrival of striker Wilfried Bony in a £12 million move from Vitesse Arnhem that has sparked most excitement.
Bony is expected to supply goals, taking the pressure off last season's top scorer Michu, who can now drop back into a more familiar withdrawn role.
"Last year we sold Danny Graham, the other strikers did well, but there was never that consistency there," said Rangel.
"We can have that now and I think he is the ideal striker for us.
"He is strong, he is quick and he can link up with Michu and the other players.
"He is great in training, he's a hard-working player and he's very disciplined.
"He's fitted in so well and hopefully he will score a lot of goals for us along with Michu and the other players."
There is now less scoring responsibility on Michu's shoulders, though Bony has a whopping transfer fee to repay.
But he delivered the first instalment of that with a brace on his first appearance against Malmo.
"I think he's important because last season Michu was the only one capable of scoring a lot of goals," said Rangel.
"That put pressure on him, but now there's Bony who can do a bit of everything.
"He can score, he can link with the other strikers and he is obviously a strong lad up front."
After a couple of Europa League outings, the new partnership of Bony and Michu will be unleashed on the Premier League when Manchester United visit the Liberty on August 17.
Rangel believes the pair will benefit from their run-outs in Europe, as will the rest of Swansea's squad.
"The first games of the season are always tough because you are not match fit yet, but playing against a team in the middle of their season already will help us," added the former Terrassa man.
"The first game in the Premier League is against Manchester United. It will be difficult to get something out of it, but we're looking forward to playing and hopefully we can get a result."
