Bentleigh Greens are primed to continue their long standing relationship with Ryan de Vries, as the Kiwi/South African winger looks set to return for the remainder of the season.
De Vries, 23, is expected to add further spark to an already strong Greens attack which sees John Anastasiadis’ men undefeated and in second place on the competition ladder.
The Kiwi international is no stranger to Kingston Heath, entering his fifth successive season at the club, all which have commenced mid-season once his commitments with ASB Premiership side Auckland City have concluded.
In total, the South African born de Vries has played 45 league fixtures for Bentleigh, yielding an impressive tally of 21 goals.
De Vries is coming off a rollercoaster year which began when he played an integral role in the Greens’ FFA Cup run last-season, although he was absent by the time the side had reached the quarter-finals.
During that period, the pacey forward was on the books of Auckland City and played an instrumental role in his side’s incredible run at the Club World Cup, where the semi-professional Kiwi outfit finished in third place.
De Vries himself managed to get himself on the scoresheet in City’s third place play-off game against CONCACAF champions Atlante, who had earlier knocked out Asian Champions Western Sydney Wanderers.
Having started all four of City’s games in Morocco, the speedster attracted plenty of A-League and overseas interest, but a major move failed to materialise.
His exploits for Auckland City however did manage to attract the interest of new All Whites manager Anthony Hudson, who called de Vries up for a friendly against the Korea Republic in March, where the 23 year-old made his international debut.
The inclusion of the Kiwi comes a week after the Greens bolstered their stocks with the addition of defender Ryan Love and the re-signing of previously injured forward Luke O’Dea.
De Vries and O’Dea strengthen an already impressive forward line that features Queensland striker duo Matt Thurtell and Chris Lucas, experienced campaigner Daniel Visevic, and impact man Jamie de Abreu.
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