By Justin Chadwick
Coach Ruben Zadkovich has explained why Perth Glory cut ties with Bruno Fornaroli, revealing the star striker refused to play a role off the bench.
Fornaroli’s messy departure from Glory was sealed last Friday, with the 35-year-old since signing with Melbourne Victory.
Bruno Fornaroli (centre) has left Perth Glory and signed a contract with Melbourne Victory.Credit:Paul Kane/Getty Images
The signs of Fornaroli’s discontent at Glory first appeared when he was a notable absentee from the team sheet for the 2-1 loss to Central Coast in round three.
Glory stated then Fornaroli was missing due to injury, but the fringe Socceroo replied to the social media post saying he was fit and ready to play.
Perth agreed to release Fornaroli the following week and Zadkovich addressed the reasons behind the departure before training on Thursday.
“It was pretty simple,” Zadkovich said.
“Bruno wasn’t chosen to start in a game and then refused to sit on the bench, and he didn’t want to play.
“Once a player makes that decision that he doesn’t want to put his body on the line for the team, it becomes really easy for me.
“You just pick the ones that do.”
Zadkovich is keen to bolster his squad during the January transfer window, but he doesn’t want a repeat of the Daniel Sturridge disaster from last season.
Sturridge arrived at Glory with huge fanfare, but the former Liverpool star managed just six underwhelming cameos in a campaign that was blighted by injuries.
Zadkovich wants to lure players to the club who have the right mindset and are still physically able to produce a high standard on the field.
“We can’t have a Daniel Sturridge situation or a situation where we’ve got with Bruno where it’s a 35-year-old striker at the end trying to spearhead a rebuild,” Zadkovich said.
“It’s too much for him to put on his shoulders. We need the right person that can carry that weight and expectation and we’ll make sure we’re patient and we find the right one.
“Bruno, whilst he’s a big loss to the club, he’s also 35 years old and at the back-end of his career.
“We need someone who is going to spearhead this rebuild. We won’t (sign) someone who doesn’t fit the bill perfectly.”
Glory will be aiming to rebound from last week’s 2-1 loss to Adelaide when they take on ladder-leaders Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Saturday.
Perth captain Mustafa Amini will miss a third straight game with a quad injury, but Stefan Colakovski is a chance to return from a hip niggle.
Fornaroli is in line to make his Victory debut in Friday night’s home clash with Newcastle.
