Manager Brown stepped up his preparations for Hull's first season of Barclays Premier League football by signing the 28-year-old former Barcelona midfielder on a two-year deal on Saturday.

Geovanni has not scaled the heights expected of him when Barca paid £11million for his services in 2001 and he was released by Manchester City this summer after a season at Eastlands. But Brown feels he has pulled off a coup in persuading the player to join the Championship play-off winners.

"We wanted to see what his physical condition was like and we wanted to see whether he was ambitious," Brown said. "We always knew there was a player in there.

"The first time I watched Geovanni play was when he was at Barcelona in a game against Liverpool at Anfield. I've only just spoken to him about that particular match, which also featured the likes of Patrick Kluivert, Rivaldo and Luis Enrique.

"And to have someone from that fixture now playing for Hull City is a testament to just how far we've come as a club. I think it's a tremendous coup for the football club to have him on board and I'm certainly looking forward to working with a Brazilian international."