SONNY EFFERCT: Ordaz Hails 'Different Level' Mentor Son Heung-Min After Dream Link-Up

The young LAFC forward has revealed the specific ways new signing and Premier League icon Son Heung-min is already raising his game, from "amazing" off-the-ball runs to a world-class intensity that is elevating the entire squad.

The arrival of a global superstar can often take time to bed in, but for LAFC's Nathan Ordaz, the connection with former Tottenham Hotspur talisman Son Heung-min was instantaneous. The young forward has hailed the immediate impact of the South Korean captain, describing playing alongside him as a personal "challenge" that is already forcing him to become a better player.

The duo linked up seamlessly during Son's impressive 30-minute debut, leaving many to wonder if the chemistry was as natural as it appeared on the pitch. For Ordaz, it was simple footballing intelligence.

"When you make good runs, you know, and if I see it, then I'm going to try and play it," Ordaz explained. "He made a lot of good runs and he was open... I think we had a good little connection. He helped me look good, I think I helped him look good, and hopefully, we could get goals and assists for each other."

Beyond the immediate on-pitch partnership, it is Son's elite mentality and technical details, honed over years in the Premier League, that Ordaz is soaking up. When asked what makes the forward so dangerous up close, the youngster pointed to a quality that often goes unnoticed by fans in the stands.

"I think his movement off the ball is amazing," Ordaz stated. "I think the intensity of it is what also is... a different level. He's not just running to run; he's running with intent and with intensity."

That intensity is now setting the standard at LAFC. For Ordaz, the opportunity to train and play with a player he acknowledges as "one of the best forwards in England for who knows how long" is a daily masterclass. He detailed the multiple facets of Son's game he is now studying to improve his own.

"I think in a lot of ways," Ordaz said on how Son will make him better. "I could learn from how he moves, I could learn from his decision making, how he touches the ball... I could learn from a lot of things."

He added that the pressure of playing alongside such a calibre of player is a challenge he relishes. "Playing next to him is a challenge in itself. He tests me by the runs he makes or by the decisions that I have to make quicker... and yeah, I'm excited to hopefully get better from it."

As LAFC prepares for a crucial run of away fixtures, it's clear the "Sonny effect" is already in full swing—not just in the goals the club hopes he will score, but in the invaluable lessons he is already passing on to the next generation.