Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi says Harry Kewell’s hunger to prove himself again will make him a fantastic asset for his side next season.
Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi says Harry Kewell’s hunger to prove himself again will make him a fantastic asset for his side in the next A-League season.
The Heart announced Kewell’s signing on Wednesday, handing the 34-year-old a lifeline after he was let go by Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa last month.
Aloisi said Kewell’s hunger had impressed him, and is confident that will make him a formidable weapon next season.
“He wants to come back to Australia and show what he’s capable of doing still, on the big stage, and I think that Harry – that hungry – is going to be a great asset for us,” Aloisi told SEN on Thursday.
“He was a bit disappointed win the first half of the season when he was here last time with Victory. Second half of the season he ended up performing well.
“This time round he’s going to have a good pre-season under his belt and we’ll get him right for the start of the season.
“He ticked all the (physical) boxes and now we can’t wait to get him here to train with us.”
Aloisi said his discussions with Kewell had been straightforward.
Kewell left his former manager Bernie Mandic – who oversaw his move to Melbourne Victory – in November 2011 and in February this year he split with agent James Erskine.
“He did have a few problems when he arrived at Victory with management, but since then he’s left his management,” Aloisi said.
“I dealt directly with Harry the whole time. We spoke about everything.
“The one thing we didn’t really speak about was money because he said he’s not interested in it. He just wants to play, he wants to do well and that’s all I wanted to hear.”
Aloisi believes the lure of a possible spot in the Socceroos squad for next year’s World Cup in Brazil is what is motivating Kewell.
“He’s still only 34 – we saw how (Alessandro) Del Piero played last year, he’s 37, 38,” Aloisi said.
“He did say that he still had that desire and he would love to play in another World Cup.
“I think that can only help him, because he’s got a goal and something to go for.”
