Runaway Hyundai A-League leaders Central Coast have beat out a number of rival clubs to re-sign rising young defender Trent Sainsbury to a new two-year deal on Tuesday.
Runaway Hyundai A-League leaders Central Coast have beat out a number of rival clubs to re-sign rising young defender Trent Sainsbury to a new two-year deal on Tuesday.
Sainsbury, who has been used mainly as a substitute this season behind experienced central defenders Alex Wilkinson and Patrick Zwaanswijk, will remain with the Mariners until the end of the 2013-14 season.
“It’s [the Mariners] a good family orientated club, which suits me, and I like that it-s a very chilled out lifestyle here on the Coast,” Sainsbury said.
“Arnie [Graham Arnold] was a big part of me staying here, he’s a very professional coach, and I guess you don’t know what you’ve got until it-s gone so it was important for me not to go to another club and basically have to start from scratch.”
The Young Socceroos representative was not the only player to pledge his future to the club with impressive youngsters Mitchell Duke, James Oates and Anthony Caceres also winning promotion to the senior squad for next season.
The trio, who have been in sensational form in the club’s National Youth League squad, have also been added to the Mariners’ Asian Champions League squad.
“This shows that we want to give our youth a go,” Mariners coach Graham Arnold said.
“The ones who come into our system early will get a chance – to find other players they have to be a very special talent otherwise we will promote our youth.”
“In the past two years Trent has developed with us physically and matured a lot as a footballer and a person – he-s one of our youngsters with a lot of potential.”
