INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE will this week face a player that's so good he's an 'alien', according to his Astra manager Marius Sumudica.
Inverness will face Romanian side Astra Giurgiu in their first ever European game.
But they will have to be extremely wary of Astra skipper and star man Constantin Budescu.
Romanian Budesca - who has a £2m release clause and has been linked with a move to a string of European clubs - netted a wonder free-kick in Astra's 2-2 draw with Concordia Chiajna in their opening league game of the season, which was watched by Inverness scouts.
And outspoken boss Sumudica, who last week labelled John Hughes' side as a long ball team, believes 26-year-old playmaker Budescu will be the key to the tie.
"That free kick he scored [against Concordia] was extraterrestrial: it was scored by an alien!
"Constantin is definitely the best player I have ever coached. He is a special player who can win games by himself.
"People are talking about us winning the league and if we are to do that, it will all be down to how well he performs."
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