A-League Champions Melbourne Victory have added Socceroos midfielder Oliver Bozanic to their star-studded squad.
Bozanic signed a three-year deal and will fill the marquee position vacated by Mark Milligan, who joined UAE club Baniyas after the grand final.
Victory tried to lure James Troisi back to the club and inquired about midfielder Luke Brattan, whose preference is to go to Europe after he quit Brisbane.
They settled on Bozanic, a versatile left-footed midfielder who can play as a number 8 or no.10.
Bozanic, 26, passed a medical last week is expected to start training with his new teammates on Friday at Gosch’s Paddock after returning to Melbourne on Wednesday night.
He was a regular for the past two years with Swiss club Luzern, playing 26 games last season after playing 31 the year before.
Most of Bazinic’s seven caps have come under Ange Postecoglou, and he impressed at the 2014 World Cup, earning the penalty against Holland that Mile Jedinak converted.
He missed out on the Asian Cup squad but was recalled, coming on last March against Macedonia and he travelled to Kyrgyzstan in June.
Bozanic was one of the uncontracted players excluded from the squad for Bangladesh and Tajikistan, along with Troisi, who just signed for Saudi Arabians Al Ittihad.
Postecoglou said playing well, regardless of the standard, was the key criteria for budding Socceroos.
“It’s not about where you move, and people want to pre-empt decisions, it’s actually about what you do when you get there,’’ Postecoglou said.
“They can all be great moves if the guys play and play well. I like to see players play and play well, wherever that may be.’’
Bozanic could be available for Victory’s FFA Cup quarter-final tie at home to Adelaide United on September 22 or 29.
Victory held on 3-2 in a tense Round of 16 tie away to Rockdale City Suns, with Jesse Makarounas scoring a brace and Besart Berisha netting the other.
“It wasn’t great tonight but we look forward. Adelaide possesses a good game for us,” Victory coach Muscat told Fox Sports.
“We’ve got Adelaide in the first game of the [A-League] season, we’ll get a good look at them and I suppose they’ll get a good look at us.
“It should be an entertaining game and a little bit different now that both teams have something to lose.
“There was only one team that had something to lose tonight and I thought we just hung on.’’
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