Striker Hooper cuts ALM Phoenix stay short

Wellington Phoenix striker Gary Hooper may have played his last game for the A-League Men club after being granted a release from the final year of his contract.

The 34-year-old Englishman was signed to the club for the 2022/23 season but will now leave the Phoenix at the end of this campaign to reunite with his family who have remained in the UK.

Hooper is currently sidelined with a torn calf and has made just three starts this season.

He has scored 12 goals in 31 games across two spells at the Phoenix since first joining the club in 2019.

“It’s been up and down,” Phoenix head coach Ufuk Talay said. “The games that he’s been involved in he’s an influential player, he’s a quality player.

“It’s been frustrating for him, it’s been frustrating for me not being able to keep Hoops on the park.”