Know your new A-League imports

Get to know the new foreign players your A-League club hopes will prove the difference in season 2015-2016.

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Sydney FC recruit Milos Ninkovic in action for Serbia against the Socceroos in 2010. (AAP) Source: AAP

Every season A-League clubs trawl the globe for that player who could be the difference between a championship charge and the bottom four and this year is no different, with a fresh intake of foreign signings lining up for their shot at Australian domestic glory.

It remains to be seen who emerges as a Broich and who sinks like Jardel, but in the meantime, The World Game has done some of the due dilligence for you.

Andreu – Western Sydney Wanderers

Who is he?
Andreu, full name Andreu Guerao Mayoral, is a 32 year-old midfielder. He saw game time with Barcelona's C and B teams between 2002 and 2005, before spending time at Malaga B, Sporting Gijon, Polonia Warsaw, and oddly enough, Auckland City. Andreu's most recent club is Racing Santander.

Why should we be excited?
Andreu spent 12 years at Barcelona and even played for the first team while on a tour of France. He is also known by only one name. Like Pele.
Why should we be worried?
Andreu is 32 years-old and since moving on from Barcelona, has made 187 league appearances at seven different clubs, in the past decade. But his most consistent run of games came at Racing Santander, with 65 games in the past two seasons, so there is cause for optimism.

Filip Holosko – Sydney FC

Who is he?
Holosko is a 31 year-old striker from Slovakia, with 65 international caps and eight goals to his name. He has been signed on a two year deal as Sydney FC's international marquee, replacing Marc Janko.

Why should we be excited?
The 185cm striker has pedigree. After carving out his career at Slovan Liberec and Maniaspor, he earned his move to Besiktas, where he scored 55 goals in 187 appearances in all competitions. He was prolific in 2008-2009, scoring 15 times as Besiktas won the league and cup double. Graham Arnold described Holosko as "a multifunctional player who can play anywhere across the front line."
Why should we be worried?
The halcyon days of 2008-2009 are long gone, although there was a renaissance of sorts in 2012-1013 when Holosko scored 12 goals in 33 games. He was most recently on loan at Caycuk Rizespor, where he scored twice in 25 league games.

Gyorgy Sandor – Perth

Who is he?
Gyorgy Sandor is a 31 year-old midfielder with nine international caps for Hungary. He has spent the majority of his career in Hungary where he played for Ujpest, Gyori, and Videoton.

Why should we be excited?
With Sandor in central midfield, Videoton took out last season's Hungarian championship. He has also been a regular wherever he has gone, making 334 appearances since his debut for Ujpest in 2003.

Why should we be worried?
The Hungarian league is a bit of an unknown quantity. It is ranked, by UEFA, as only the 32nd league in Europe, behind Kazahkstan and Slovakia, and ahead of Iceland and Moldova. Remember Richard Vernes, no?

Milos Ninkovic – Sydney FC

Who is he?

Milos Ninkovic is a 30 year-old midfielder from Serbia, whose birthday falls on Christmas Day.

Why should we be excited?
Ninkovic has been signed to replace another Milos, Dimitrejevic, who left Sydney FC at the end of last season. Ninkovic has 28 caps for Serbia, to Dimitrejevic's none, and made 15 appearances for Evian in France's Ligue 1 last season. Ninkovic also played more than 100 games for Ukrainian giant Dynamo Kiev during a nine year stint. Keen observers will remember he started against Australia at the 2010 World Cup.
Why should we be worried?

'Milos mach 2' has a tough act to follow. Dimitrejevic was Sydney FC's player of the year last season and the heartbeat of the side which made it to the grand final. Ninkovic has the pedigree, but he needs to deliver in a crucial position for the Sky Blues.

Aaron Hughes – Melbourne City

Who is he?
Northern Ireland international Hughes is an English Premier League veteran of more than 400 appearances, including stints at Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Fulham.
Why should we be excited?
Hughes made 278 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle United in his heyday, and added another 250 at Fulham. Hughes has been capped 96 times at international level, second only to legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings.

Why should we be worried?
Hughes is 35 years-old and although pace isn't as important in the centre of defence as it is elsewhere, he isn't a spring chicken. Hughes won't want to go the same way as his mate Damien Duff, whose light shone brightly with a goal and five assists in 15 games for Melbourne City, before a calf and an ankle injury ended his season, and his A-League career.


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5 min read
Published 21 July 2015 4:02pm
Updated 21 July 2015 4:10pm
By Matthew Connellan
Source: SBS

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