Bruno Fornaroli has only just become a Perth Glory player but he has already set his sights on making his club debut in July’s friendly against Manchester United.
The uncertainty around Fornaroli’s future after his messy split from Melbourne City last month was resolved on Friday when he was unveiled by Glory on a two-year marquee deal.
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While he is ineligible to play for the league-leading Glory this season, the prolific Uruguayan is focussed on coming in fit and firing in a big pre-season with the club.
The high-profile clash against the Premier League giants in front of 60,000 fans at Optus Stadium on July 13 looms as his first game in Glory colours.
“It’s massive. To play against a team like Manchester United would be amazing,” Fornaroli told a big media contingent in Perth.
To play against a team like Manchester United would be amazing…a dream
“Whatever player you ask it’s the same, [it would be] a dream.
“In a full stadium…this is why I say I don’t want to think [about the start of next season] now, I just try to think about that game [against the Red Devils].
“If I have the opportunity to play it would be great.”
Fornaroli refused to be drawn on the way things ended at City, preferring instead to look ahead to his future with Glory and slotting into their star-studded attacking line-up.
Glory have scored a league-high 47 goals on their way to the top of the league this season, with Andy Keogh, Chris Ikonomidis and Diego Castro all in scintillating touch.
Given their plethora of options up front, Fornaroli admits he was surprised when he received a call from coach Tony Popovic asking if he was interested in heading west.
“I’ve watched Perth games and I said ’I don’t know why Perth call me because the team plays really well’,” Fornaroli said with a smile.
“[Andy] Keogh is massive here, [Diego] Castro is amazing, [Neil] Kilkenny…I want to be part of this.
“And next season we have to do better. I cross my fingers we win the Championship this year and after you have to defend and it’s more difficult. I want to be a part of this.”
While admitting he had a number of offers from Australia and abroad for his services, it did not take much for Popovic to sell Fornaroli the ‘Glory Project’.
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“This is why I [joined] Perth. Because when the coach called me and told me the idea of how we want to play, the idea of the club, the future is amazing,” the 31-year-old said.
“This makes the difference for me and this is why I want to follow this team.
“You can see already with this team the way they want to play, the effort they put inside the pitch. I love that and I want to follow the team.”
