After working his way through a range of setbacks earlier in the season, Melbourne City full-back Michael Zullo says he’s cannot wait to establish himself in the City line up.
Zullo debuted for the Club in Round 2 against Melbourne Victory and made his return to the side against Sydney earlier this month saying he’s feeling the fittest he’s been in almost a year.
“I’m still obviously conscious of the fact that I’ve got a long way to go to get back to where I was and to get back to the level I know I can reach but I’m enjoying my football again and I’m enjoying being fit most of all so hopefully that can continue,” Zullo said.
“I’ve been given the green light to play 90 (minutes) by the medical staff but whether I do or not is entirely in the coach’s hands. Physically I feel like I‘m getting there, I’ve done some really, really hard work the last four to five weeks to get myself ready for this next little chapter.
“I’ve had almost like a mini pre-season in the middle of the season to get myself ready for the back end. We’ve got a lot of important games coming up and I’m just hoping that I can contribute in some way and make a difference.”
The defender has also adapted well to the changes in the side’s formation over the past couple of weeks and says all he’s worried about is bringing success to the Club.
“This formation that we are playing now, in particular with wingbacks, I think it’s well suited for me,” he said.
“At this point I’m just happy to be playing and to be fit and to be able to contribute to the team, so if that was at centre back I wouldn’t really complain at this point.
“(I just want to) contribute to a winning environment and a winning culture at the Club. That’s something I think the Club really set out to do this year was to draw a line in the sand and move forward so I’m just hoping that I can contribute to that and contribute to a successful season, that’s the most important thing for me in the next three months.”
Zullo and City are back at AAMI Park this Monday as they take on Wellington in a massive double header. See our Westfield W-League Semi Final at 4:30pm as our Women’s side takes Brisbane Roar before our Hyundai A-League Round 16 clash at 7:30pm.
