David Villa has completed his first training session with Melbourne City FC this morning and is available for selection in the Club’s Round 1 Hyundai A-League match against Sydney FC this Saturday.
Villa arrived in Melbourne on Sunday evening and met with Head Coach John van’t Schip before joining the team on Monday morning for his first training session in Melbourne in advance of the opening game of the season.
Van’t Schip said: “David will be an important player for us this season and our priority was to get him training with the group as quickly as possible.”
The Club confirmed it had arranged a low-profile arrival for the Spanish international to enable him to focus on preparing for the upcoming season.
Villa was given a warm welcome by his new teammates this morning at the Club’s training base at La Trobe University.
Villa said: “I have been looking forward to coming to Melbourne and I am glad to finally be here and be playing football. It is only a short time before the season begins but we are professional footballers and are prepared for this.”
Van’t Schip added: “David has been training in New York for some time and we have been in regular contact with the team there so we knew that fitness would not be an issue. The most important thing now is for David to acclimatise to the conditions and train with the rest of squad so that we can make the most of his time with us.”
Villa added: “There is a very strong team here and the atmosphere is very positive. I am proud to be playing football for Melbourne City FC and I hope that the people will come and support us in the Hyundai A-League this season.”
Melbourne City FC commences its Hyundai A-League campaign with an away match against Sydney FC on Saturday 11 October at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
The team’s first home game of the season is on 19 October against the Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park, Melbourne.
Melbourne City FC memberships are on sale now at membership.melbournecityfc.com.au
