Melbourne City has secured yet another Socceroo in its stable for the 2021-22 season after inking attacker Andrew Nabbout to a new, three-year contract extension.
Less than a week after the 2020-21 A-League premiers announced the capture of Socceroo attacker Mathew Leckie to a three-year pact, 28-year-old Nabbout now has signed a new deal of his own — tying him to the soon to be South Eastern Melbourne club until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
With Jamie Maclaren still under contract for next season as well, it potentially gives coach Patrick Kisnorbo’s side an all-Socceroo front three of Nabbout-Maclaren-Leckie, with young guns Marco Tilio and Stefan Colakovski in support, heading into 2021-22.
However, three-time A-League Golden Boot winner Maclaren has been heavily linked to a move overseas in the coming months.
“I love Melbourne and I feel right at home at the club,” Nabbout said on his new deal.
“I’m surrounded by people who want to work hard and share my values as a player and as a person. There is a clear vision for the club, the style of football we play and our desire to win trophies.
“We’ve tasted success this season with a Premiers’ Plate and we want more from this season’s finals series. I can’t wait to be back on the pitch to repay the faith that both the club and the fans have shown me.”
Joining City at the start of the current campaign after a mooted deal to Perth Glory fell through due to West Australia’s strict, COVID-related border restrictions, Nabbout quickly formed a deadly attacking triumvirate with fellow Socceroo Maclaren and Englishman Craig Noone.
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Adding two goals and five assists to the trio’s sum total of 33 and 18 respectively, City has lost just a single game of the 15 the former Brunswick City junior has suited up for in 2020-21, winning 12 and drawing two of the remaining 14.
“Andrew is a natural leader in the dressing room and with his pace, power and skill on the pitch it makes him a perfect player for our style of football,” City director of football Michael Petrillo said.
“He has played a huge role in the Club winning our first Premiers Plate and his ability to come back from injury and make himself available for the upcoming Finals Series is testament to how hard he works, his passion for the Club and for the fans.”
Despite initially appearing to have suffered a season-ending injury when he snapped his adductor tendon “off the bone completely” against Adelaide United on May 13, Carlton-born Nabbout has undergone a Wolverine-like recovery to force his way back into contention for his side’s finals campaign.
The nine-time Socceroo may even feature against Newcastle Jets in the rescheduled A-League regular-season finale on Thursday evening, although Kisnorbo was guarded on that prospect on Wednesday morning.
“I did think my season was over,” Nabbout reflected.
“When it happened, I knew that I’d snapped my tendon – and after I did the MRI, it showed that it came off the bone completely which is normally a seven-weeker.
“But I’m aggressively rehabbing and it’s finals – so that gives you a little bit of extra motivation to get back and do everything you can to be out there with the team.
“It wasn’t ideal, especially with the national team that was around the corner and I’m not sure whether I was in the mix for that, but it would have been nice to be able to go if I was selected.
“But now it’s a blessing in disguise, obviously, because I possibly can come back for finals depending on how quickly I can heal.”
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