The Newcastle Jets have not ruled out using new signing Mark Milligan in this Friday night’s Hyundai A-League clash with the Central Coast Mariners at Bluetongue Stadium.
Milligan only started training with the Jets on Tuesday afternoon after signing on as a guest player for a seven-week stint this season before taking up a full role with the club for the 2009/10 Hyundai A-League season.
The Jets released a statement on Tuesday afternoon saying Milligan would make his debut with the defending Hyundai A-League champions in the Round 11 clash against Perth Glory on November 9, but at a Wednesday afternoon press conference to officially welcome Milligan to the club, van Egmond indicated the Olyroos skipper could feature in this weekend’s F3 derby against the Mariners.
“We will have look at him at training on Thursday and have a look at shape and see how we go from there,” van Egmond said.
“Mark’s is a very timely signing as it comes at a time when we lose four of our young players to representative duty.”
“It is still going to be a couple of weeks at least before Mark hits his full straps but once he gets his match fitness up and his rhythm he is going to be an important part of the jigsaw puzzle for the Newcastle Jets.”
And while van Egmond wouldn’t be drawn on the exact date of Milligan’s debut with the Jets, he did indicate he would be using the former Sydney FC defender more in the midfield than in defence.
“I see him playing in the middle of the park,” he said. “He has got the versatility of playing at the back or at right fullback but I think he is suited more so to the middle of the park where he can get on the ball; more and use his distribution and his organisation skills to the maximum benefit of the football team.”
“Mark is a very ambitious person as well and I like players who have got ambition and he is looking at doing a job here with the Jets but he is also looking at taking his career as far as it can go and he realises his first port of call is to get back on the field and start playing and getting himself back into the national team and hopefully we can facilitate that here at the Jets.”
