Melbourne City sign McCormack from Villa

Experienced Scottish striker Ross McCormack has swapped Aston Villa for Melbourne City in the A-League.

McCormack, 31, moves to Melbourne in Australia as an injury-replacement player for captain Bruno Fornaroli ahead of the 2017-18 season, which gets underway next month.

City – bankrolled by the City Football Group – and new head coach Warren Joyce, formerly of Manchester United and Wigan Athletic, were on the hunt for a new striker following a serious ankle injury to leading marksman Fornaroli.

And it led them to 13-time Scotland international McCormack, who struggled to make an impact at Championship outfit Villa after arriving from Fulham, scoring just three goals since August 2016, while he also spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest.

We are pleased to announce the signing of forward Ross McCormack! #WelcomeRoss

Details  https://t.co/hjejaqomy9 pic.twitter.com/osHt7o5g4k

— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) September 28, 2017

“I’m here to do a job for the team, support my team-mates, work hard for the manager and represent the club in the right manner,” McCormack said.

“Hopefully I can show the fans what I can offer the team and I’m very excited about being able to represent this city and its fans at a great club.”

McCormack enjoyed productive spells at Motherwell, Cardiff City, Leeds United and Fulham.

It was at Leeds, though, where McCormack flourished, scoring more than 50 goals during his four seasons at Elland Road.

Joyce added: “Losing Bruno to injury was difficult as he is an important player given his stature and ability within our team. But we were proactive in immediately seeking out a replacement and having seen Ross’ performances, we believe he can provide an avenue and a strong attacking option for us.

“I’m sure the fans will be excited by Ross’ potential and we hope to get him right and available as soon as possible.”