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Five stars you never knew were playing in Australia including ex-Man Utd and Arsenal duo
Express Sport takes a look at some of the stars now playing in the Australian A-League.
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Several former Premier League and EFL stars have found a home in the Australian A-League over the years. The league, which is growing in quality, has proved to be an excellent alternative to MLS or the Middle East for players seeking to wind down their careers at a good level.
Express Sport takes a look at some of the players you will recognise who are playing in the A-League.
Nani
Former Manchester United star Nani has enjoyed a nomadic career since leaving Old Trafford just under eight years ago. He joined Fenerbahce after falling out of favour under Louis van Gaal, and has played for a further six clubs since.
The winger - famed for the trademark back-flip celebration that earned him a telling-off from Sir Alex Ferguson - arrived in Australia last summer, joining Melbourne Victory after a short spell with Italian side Venezia.
Nani played 10 A-League matches but suffered a horror injury at the start of January. In an accidental clash with Brisbane Roar’s Connor Chapman, the 36-year-old ruptured his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
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Carl Jenkinson
Arsenal and West Ham fans will have lots of memories of Carl Jenkinson - some good, some bad. The right-back failed to live up to his potential after joining the Gunners from Charlton as a teenager.
Jenkinson joined Arsenal in 2011 and, somewhat surprisingly, only departed three years ago following several years of being shipped out on loan. He then spent much of the next three years at Nottingham Forest, where he was first introduced to Australian football in a loan spell with Melbourne City 12 months ago.
Still only 30, Jenkinson signed for Newcastle Jets last August, featuring 12 times.
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Jason Cummings
Famed for a viral social media clip of a slightly bizarre post-match interview after missing a penalty in the Scottish Premiership, some readers might be surprised to learn that Edinburgh-born Jason Cummings is actually an Australia international.
Having played twice for Scotland at the start of his career, the now-27-year-old switched allegiance due to Australian roots on his mother’s side. He made a scoring debut for the Socceroos in a pre-World Cup friendly against New Zealand and then featured against France in Qatar.
Cummings joined Central Coast Mariners from Dundee last January. He has an impressive record of 18 goals in 34 A-League appearances.
Throwback to when Jason Cummings tried a panenka, missed & said he only tried it because he had a new barnet and felt like Pirlo. ������������������pic.twitter.com/Iflxed5d6M
— Not Match of the Day (@NOT_MOTD) January 30, 2021
Joe Lolley
Former non-league hotshot Joe Lolley enjoyed a successful EFL career with Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest. However, he was a victim of Forest’s major summer overhaul after helping them to Premier League promotion last season.
Lolley jetted over to Australia to join Sydney FC and has performed well. The 30-year-old has bagged four goals in 11 appearances.
Craig Noone
Another player who was excellent in the Championship but never quite cracked the Premier League is Craig Noone. The winger enjoyed successful spells with Plymouth, Brighton and Cardiff, for whom he featured in the top-flight in their doomed 2013-14 campaign.
The Liverpudlian, now 35, has played in Australia since 2019. Noone made just shy of 50 A-League appearances for Melbourne City before joining Macarthur FC in 2021.