Spain's record goalscorer David Villa could make his debut for Melbourne City FC against Sydney FC this weekend after completing his first training session with his new club.
Villa has joined the Australian side on a short-term loan deal from their sister club New York City FC, who signed the former Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia player on a three-year contract in June.
The 32-year-old arrived in Melbourne on Sunday evening and met up with his new team-mates on Monday morning.
The World Cup winner is now in line to feature in Melbourne City's opening A-League match against Sydney on Saturday, with head coach John van't Schip saying on the club's website: "David will be an important player for us this season and our priority was to get him training with the group as quickly as possible.
"David has been training in New York for some time and we have been in regular contact with the team there so we knew that fitness would not be an issue. The most important thing now is for David to acclimatise to the conditions and train with the rest of squad so that we can make the most of his time with us."
Villa, who has scored a national-record 59 goals in 97 appearances for Spain, said: "I have been looking forward to coming to Melbourne and I am glad to finally be here and be playing football.
"It is only a short time before the season begins but we are professional footballers and are prepared for this."
Source: PA
