Melbourne Heart FC is delighted to announce the signing of rising Victorian star Mate Dugandzic.
Melbourne Heart FC is delighted to announce the signing of rising Victorian star Mate Dugandzic.
The 21-year-old attacker has inked a multi-year deal to join the Hyundai A-League side, making him Heart-s second off-season arrival after the Club signed fellow Melbournian Curtis Good earlier this month.
Head Coach John van ‘t Schip said the arrival of the skilful Dugandzic provides a massive boost to Heart-s forward stocks for the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season.
“Mate is a very young, talented player and he has some qualities that we think we can use for our team,” he said. “He can play easily around the striker, from the wings and he can also play as an attacking midfielder.
“He has depth in his game, but of course we know he is still young, and we hope to give him the playing time and experience he needs to develop into a great player.”
General Manager, Football Operations, John Didulica says Dugandzic-s signing reinforces the platform built by the club in its inaugural season.
“Mate has a lot of the qualities we are looking to build our club on. He-s a local, he-s a player who we think is on the verge of breaking through as an elite professional and he is an authentic ball player, who enjoys being in possession and using the width of the park,” he said.
“We are pleased Mate has made what is a courageous decision to join Melbourne Heart FC”.
After making his senior debut for Melbourne Knights at the tender age of 16, Dugandzic headed to Europe to spend a one-year stint with Dinamo Zagreb.
Upon returning to Australia, Dugandzic impressed in the Victorian Premier League before making his Hyundai A-League debut in 2009, scoring seven goals in 37 appearances with Melbourne Victory.
Current Melbourne Heart FC Squad
Clint BOLTON, Michael MARRONE, Brendan HAMILL, Simon COLOSIMO, Michael BEAUCHAMP, Matt THOMPSON, Rutger WORM, Kristian SARKIES, Wayne SRHOJ, Alex TERRA, Kamal IBRAHIM, Aziz BEHICH, Jason HOFFMAN, Eli BABALJ, Kliment TASESKI, Nick KALMAR, Adrian ZAHRA, Curtis GOOD, Mate DUGANDZIC
