Melbourne Victory boss Jim Magilton hopes to know whether he and Carlos Hernandez will be at the club next seaosn by the end of next week.
Melbourne Victory boss Jim Magilton hopes to know whether he will be in charge of the club next season by the end of next week.
Magilton has made an inconspicuous start to his Hyundai A-League coaching career, with the Northern Irishman having overseen just two wins at Victory since taking over from Mehmet Durakovic in January.
Two wins from 11 matches in charge is hardly an inspiring record, but Magilton believes he has done enough to win a new contract and is hoping to hear some positive news from the Victory board shortly after the club’s final game of the season in Perth on Saturday.
“Once we get Saturday out of the way we will all be in a better place to work all that out,” Magilton said.
“I am just getting used to it now and enjoying it and that (winning a new deal) will all be answered by the end of next week hopefully.”
The coaching situation isn’t the only question needed to be answered in the next week, with the future of many players also coming under close scrutiny.
Veteran midfielder Carlos Hernandez is one of those players whose future at the club is in doubt, with the Costa Rican yet to sign a new deal to stay at Victory next season.
Hernandez has scored nine goals for Victory this campaign and Magilton said it would be a huge loss if the 29-year-old was to leave the club.
“He (Hernandez) is a fan favourite and is obviously a very talented footballer,” Magilton said.
“You don’t want to lose talented footballers. Carlos has big decisions to make.
“He is approaching 30, he has got family responsibilities and he is going to make those decisions in the best interests of Carlos and his family.”
Magilton said there would be no point in Hernandez staying with Victory if wasn’t fully committed to the club.
“You want total commitment and if you don’t have total commitment you don’t really want them at your football club,” he said.
“You want people here who want to be here and who want to take part in whatever is going to happen.
So next week decisions will be made both on my future and on Carlos’ future.”
Hernandez will travel to Perth for Victory’s final match of the season on Saturday night, with Magilton unlikely to make too many changes to the side that defeated Wellington Phoenix 3-0 last week.
The last time Victory played in Perth they were on the wrong end of a 4-1 thumping and Magilton believes his side will travel west looking for some revenge.
“We got a bit of a pasting last time we were there so it would be nice to go there and win,” he said.
“We owe them one so it would be nice to go up there and play well.”
