Six days after their semi-final elimination at the hands of Adelaide United, Melbourne City have announced their first squad changes of the A-League off-season, releasing five players.
Wade Dekker, Marc Marino, Jason Trifiro, James Brown and Aaron Hughes have been cut by the club while goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis has penned a new one-year contract.
Twenty-two year-old Dekker is a graduate of Melbourne City’s youth team, becoming professional at the start of the 2015-16 season and scoring his first ever goal on debut against Sydney FC. Fellow youngster Marino will also be on the hunt for a new home after nine City appearances.
Experienced Northern Irishman Hughes will end his brief Australian adventure with six appearances to his name after a series of injuries that includes one goal. Trifiro is also gone with one more appearance to his name than the former Newcastle United defender.
Former Newcastle Jet Brown never seemed to settle at City, making just 16 appearances for the club in two years.
Still on the books is Bouzanis, who joined City in the January transfer window after mutually parting company with Western Sydney Wanderers. As yet, the former Liverpool gloveman has yet to unseat Tomas Sorensen as number one custodian.
The personnel changes extend to the dugout. City assistants Luciano Trani and Ivan Jolic will also depart, leaving John van’t Schip with a search for new aides on his hands.
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