Krasnodar’s Danish forward Younes Namli has left the club to join MLS side Colorado Rapids on a two-year loan deal. Namli has appeared 18 times for Krasnodar in all competitions this season, scoring once.

Competition for places has left the 25-year-old winger with limited opportunities, and just one start in the Russian Premier League since early August. With Remy Cabella and Viktor Claesson due to return from long-term injuries as well he will instead become a key player for a side that failed to make the MLS playoffs last year.

The Rapids have been following Namli closely for some time now, and have registered him as one of their Designated Players. They even tried to sign the Dane when he left PEC Zwolle for southern Russia, according to their Executive Vice President Padraig Smith.

“We thought we were in with a chance to get him,” Smith told mlssoccer.com on Wednesday. “But we continued to talk. When they decided to look for something else, we were able to jump in and get the deal done.”