Melbourne Victory today announces that Qantas Socceroo defender, Mark Milligan, will join the club on loan until the end of the Hyundai A-League season, subject to an International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

Milligan returns to the Hyundai A-League for a second time after initially representing Sydney FC (2005-08) and Newcastle Jets (2008/09), before the twelve-time Socceroo headed to Chinese club, Shanghai Shenhua, and then moved on to current club, JEF United, in Japan’s J-League 2.

The 26 year-old said, “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.”

“Hopefully I can help get the club’s season back-on-track. The Melbourne Victory fans are the most passionate in the country so it will be great to play in front of them again, only this time as a Victory player,” Milligan added.

Melbourne Victory Coach, Jim Magilton, is eager to see the former Olyroos captain in action, “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,” Magilton added.

In further player movement news, Melbourne Victory can also confirm that it has come to a financial settlement with former marquee-man, Ricardinho, thus freeing up a visa spot on the clubs list.