Melbourne Victory announced today that they’ve secured 26 year old defender, Mark Milligan on a short-term loan deal from Japan’s JEF United, until the end of the regular season.

Milligan, who has previously represented Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets in the A-League says he is looking forward to playing in his home country once again:

“The Japanese season has finished up now, so rather than have an extended break, I was really keen to get back to the A-League and Melbourne Victory was a very attractive option for me.”

“Playing overseas really heightens your interest in the domestic game back home, so I’ve been keeping a close eye on the A-League since I moved away a few years ago, and I’m really excited to be back until the end of the season.”

Melbourne began the season short on defensive options but coach Jim Magilton said he’s pleased to have Milligan at the Club which will give the Victory some much needed depth at the back:

“Mark brings a great deal of experience and quality to the squad and we’re delighted to have him for the rest of the season. He’s a versatile player and can do a number of different jobs, so I expect him to be a real asset to the team.“

“While we have an array of attacking options, we felt it was imperative to bring in a player like Mark to strengthen our defensive set-up,”

In other transfer news, Melbourne have finally come to a financial agreement with Ricardinho, paying out the remainder of his contract which frees up one of the Club’s visa spots. The Victory are also said to be close to securing young attacking midfielder Julius Davies on a short-term contract. Born in Sierra Leone, the 17 year old has impressed the coaching staff while training with the first team squad for the past two weeks.