Melbourne Heart FC has further bolstered its inaugural Hyundai A-League squad by signing Young Socceroo Jason Hoffman.
Melbourne Heart FC has further bolstered its inaugural Hyundai A-League squad by signing Young Socceroo Jason Hoffman.
Hoffman will join the competition newcomers on a multi-year deal and becomes the fourth player to sign with Heart after Qantas Socceroos Kristian Sarkies, Matt Thompson and Dean Heffernan.
Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip said he was impressed by Hoffman-s versatility and is pleased to have secured his services for next season and beyond.
“Jason is a player with great potential. He has shown that he can be effective in attack and is also an excellent professional who works very hard, the sort of player that we are hoping to bring to the club,” he said.
“He can play in a number of positions and is very athletic so he will give us some extra flexibility within the squad. If he can continue to work hard and improve, he will complement the established players we have already managed to sign in Kristian, Matt and Dean.”
A product of the New South Wales Institute of Sport, Hoffman made his Hyundai A-League debut at the age of 18 and played an important role in the Newcastle Jets 2007 championship campaign, making 15 appearances on a his way to a winner-s medal.
His second season was derailed by a severe knee injury, but the 20-year-old bounced back in fine fashion during Newcastle-s Asian Champions League campaign earlier this year as the pacey attacker reinforced his talent.
Hoffman scored the winning goal in the Jets final group game against Korean giants Ulsan Hyundai to secure the club-s passage to the knockout stages of the tournament.
The Novacastrian then carried across his form to the A-League season, finding the back of the net twice in six appearances to earn selection to the Young Socceroos squad for the U/20 World Cup in Egypt, starting in the games against Brazil and Czech Republic.
