Toronto FC head coach John Carver, left, and general manager Mo Johnson stand next to Dwayne De Rosario during his official presentation to the media. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Toronto FC's two-year pursuit of Dwayne De Rosario came to an end Thursday when the Major League Soccer club signed the Canadian midfielder to a four-year contract.

But even though the challenge of landing De Rosario was successfully met, another pressing matter lies ahead for Toronto coach John Carver: how does he fit the Canadian into the starting lineup?

De Rosario, 30, is one of the league's top stars, a talented player who bamboozles opponents with his playmaking magic, and a brilliant creator who orchestrates the attack from his position in the middle of the park.

The problem for Toronto FC is that it already had two quality options in the centre of midfield — Carl Robinson and Amado Guevara — before singing De Rosario.

The club also used the No. 2 pick in the recent college draft to select Wake Forest product Sam Cronin, a two-way midfielder in the Patrick Vieira mode that Toronto general manager Mo Johnston expects to make an immediate impact for the club in the upcoming season.

So, how does Carver plan to keep all four midfielders happy with regular first-team playing time?

He doesn't.

"You can't put all of those players in the same starting lineup, but it's a good problem to have, and it's something I have to look at closely in the pre-season," Carver told CBCSports.ca.

The English coach believes having four players compete for two positions in the centre of midfield will help the team in the long run, as it will push them to compete harder for starting roles.

"If you look at Carl Robinson and Amado Guevara, who were two of our best players [last season], and now we're bringing in [De Rosario] and a top young kid from the draft, it puts pressure on everybody and that's what you want," Carver explained.

There's no doubt that De Rosario's name will be the first one on the team sheet on game day when Carver is pencilling in his starting lineup. But it will be interesting to see if the Toronto coach plans to deploy the Canadian in the centre of midfield with Guevara, a move that would see two similar players line up next to each other.

It's a bit of a risk if one subscribes to the commonly held tactical belief that such a move would result in the players crowding each other in a struggle to find open space, and that it is not an efficient use of team resources — which would explain why Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez rarely uses Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane at the same time.

'Flair players'

Starting De Rosario and Guevara in the centre might also force Carver to drop Robinson back in front of the defence in a five-man midfield.

"De Rosario and Guevara are both exciting, flair players, and we have a good foil in Carl Robinson, who sits behind and can start things for us," Carver said.

Carver also didn't rule out the possibility of playing Robinson, considered one of the top holding midfielders in the league, out of position, specifically in the centre of defence.

"Carl can also play a number of different positions, including at centre half, and I'm not going to rule that out this season because you want your best players on the field," Carver revealed.

The best solution to Toronto's midfield problem could be the simplest one: use De Rosario as a deep-lying forward behind the main striker, a position he's played before, and keep the Guevara-Robinson partnership intact.

"De Rosario is a fantastic goal scorer," Carver said when asked about that possibility. "When the games are tight, he can open teams up and that's what we need."

And what about De Rosario? Where does he want to play?

"Wherever helps the team to win, even if it takes me playing in net," De Rosario said.