Socceroos’ former assistant coach and chief scout has used his knowledge and connections to the national team to support the club’s recruitment efforts. He used the network far and wide to lure several overseas Aussies into the A-League.
Milicic has an unmatched understanding of the Australian players who do business in Europe after being sent on a 12-month reconnaissance mission by former Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou to discover new talent ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
And it has proven successful so far – with half of the Milsic Bulls team, which previously consisted of Australian players, who returned to Down Under for the first time in the A-League.
“I can’t say too much, but I can say that we’ve signed nine players so far, five of whom are Australians who currently play in Europe and have never played in the A-League,” said Milicic, a recent video of the Macarthur FC Website.
“My experience with the national teams has helped me build a decent database of players I’ve worked with in the past who fit my style of play and who we want to bring to the club.”
While the Coronavirus pandemic has shaken the A-League both on and off the field, Milicic is confident that he can assemble and finish his first bull squad before the scheduled start of the season in December.
However, he admits that the uncertainty about the league caused by the shutdown of COVID-19 only increased the difficulties in preparing a new club for the first season.
“The coronavirus pandemic has affected the entire league in many ways and every team has to prepare for it next season,” said Milicic
“The salary cap has changed. We are not sure whether international players are ready and able to travel to Australia. There are also players in the league who are not sure about their future in their current club.”
“This is the situation we have dealt with and we are doing everything we can to overcome these hurdles and make further progress.”
The bulls have extra time to prepare for their debut campaign. The 2020-21 season of the A-League will be postponed until December due to the coronavirus crisis.
It’s time for Milicic to make the most of it.
“We have a plan that we hope we can start testing and screening in September. We’re slow to get players to come up with a training plan a few weeks later,” he said.
“Until then, the laptops will still work, so you can rate and view game material as you go Whatsapp is a great form of communication to keep in touch with players wherever they are. “
“We are basically on hold, but I am very happy with the position in which we are in the squad.”
