Tim Cahill’s new Melbourne City teammates were impressed by what the Caltex Socceroos striker produced in his first training session with the club on Monday morning.
Having been without a club since his last match for Hangzhou Greentown on July 10, Cahill was put through a full training session on Monday and City midfielder Luke Brattan was amazed by the Socceroos striker’s level.
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Cahill has set himself a goal of being fully fit within three weeks, and judging by his team-mates’ reviews, Australia’s all-time leading goalscorer will achieve that.
“He looked sharp,” Brattan said of Cahill.
“He was saying he hasn’t done anything in four to six weeks. Me after a four to six weeks, I don’t look like that, so he’s looking really good.”
Neil Kilkenny was also impressed by Cahill even if he did recommend patience.
“He looked good, and obviously with a couple more training sessions with the group and a bit more fitness, I’m sure he’ll help the group massively,” Kilkenny said.
Cahill has joined City for the next two A-League seasons and many pundits are predicting the 36-year-old will take both the club and competition to another level.
Brattan labelled Cahill “massive” for City, while goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen embraced the pressure that comes with having the A-League’s most expensive player as a team-mate.
“I think we’re looking even stronger than last year,” the Dane said of City.
“So we’ve got high hopes but, you know, you can talk about it – it’s got to be done on the pitch when the season starts and the pressure will be on us with Tim and other players coming in, but I feel we’re ready for it.
“I’m looking forward to it.”