Adelaide United have confirmed that former striker Sergio van Dijk will return to the club for its Asian Champions League play-off against Chinese side Shandon Luneng on 9 February.
Thirty-three-year-old van Dijk joined the Reds in 2010 from Brisbane Roar, going on to score 25 goals in 55 appearances for the South Australian outfit.
He returns to the club after stints in Iran, Thailand and Indonesia, having gained his citizenship in the lattermost country and appearing five times for the national team.
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That has allowed Adelaide to sign van Dijk on the AFC’s ‘3+1′ rule, whereby three foreign players can be included in an ACL squad along with one Asian player.
Van Dijk says he is buzzing to return to the club where he was a fan favourite and is keen to link up with some familiar team mates as well as the Reds’ newer faces.
“It feels great to be back with Adelaide United, I’m happy that I can play here in South Australia again and I hope I can add something extra to the team and be successful in Asia,” van Dijk said.
“The style of football that we play has definitely changed since I was here last, but I know I can suit it. I believe the more attacking diversity that we have, the more dangerous we can be in the competition and to our opponents.
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“From previous experiences in the Champions League, I’ve seen the Australian football way has been successful and definitely more physical than some of the Asian teams, which has been effective.
“Even after I left the club a few years ago, people still supported me and followed me and I hope I can help the team and the history of this great club.
“In the play-off, though, with our fans behind us, we definitely have a big chance in going through to the group stage and I’m very confident we can progress over whichever team we will face.”
Coach Guillermo Amor too was ecstatic with his new signing, describing van Dijk as the “perfect fit” for their style of play.
“We are so happy to have Sergio join our team for the Asian Champions League,” Amor said.
“When Sergio was playing for the club before, he was a very good player and he has shown his abilities while training with us in the last few weeks.
“He is a player who is big and strong, he is good in the air, but he can strike the ball very well.
“We are excited to have him in our squad and we think he will be a perfect fit for us.”
Whether the Reds will look to sign van Dijk to an A-League guest stint is still unclear.
Should Adelaide win the play-off against Shandong, they will slot into Group F alongside Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Japan), FC Seoul (Korea Republic) and Buriram United (Thailand).
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