Melbourne City have officially announced the signing of Republic of Ireland midfielder Damien Duff on a one-year contract for the upcoming 2014/15 A-League season.
Filling the clubs third Visa spot on their roster, Duff brings some much needed experience to the Heart line-up, after having lost captain Harry Kewell, marquee Orlando Engelaar and the versatile Patrick Gerhardt in the off-season.
A veteran of British football, Duff has plied his trade at English Premier League clubs Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Newcastle and most recently Fulham.
He has also amassed 100 international caps over 14 years, scoring eight goals along the way.
Duff’s signing will be under the salary cap, meaning City still have a precious international marquee spot available on their roster.
Coach John van ‘t Schip was pleased to have finally secured his man, citing his international experience as invaluable for the youthful looking City outfit.
“We’re excited to have a player of Damien’s quality and experience for this season. We believe he can offer international standard quality on the pitch and will also be a great professional example for our younger players,” van’t Schip said.
“His career speaks for itself. He has achieved almost everything at club level and has been a great player at an international level too. He comes to us straight from the English Premier League with Fulham, so he has been playing at the highest level against top teams and top players.
“When we met with Damien, he was excited about the opportunity here and keen to work with us to help make this project a success.”
In further news, youngsters Stefan Mauk and Ben Garuccio have both signed on with the club, penning two and three year contracts respectively.
Melbourne’s squad for the 2014-15 season is finally starting to take shape, with 18 of the 23 available spots now filled.