Adelaide United midfielders Vince Lia and Lachlan Brook sign new contracts with Reds
A pair of midfielders at opposite ends of their players careers have signed new contracts with Adelaide United, as they get set for incoming coach Gertjan Verbeek’s Reds reboot.
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They are at opposite ends of their playing careers.
But veteran Vince Lia and youngster Lachlan Brook were on board for Gertjan Verbeek’s Adelaide United reboot after signing new contracts with the club.
The Reds on Wednesday announced the midfield duo had put pen to paper to remain at Hindmarsh for another A-League title tilt.
Lia, 34, said the opportunity to build on the progress of this past campaign under incoming coach Verbeek had encouraged him to commit to his third season with United.
“To get another year and to be hanging around is nice,” said Lia, who inked a 12-month extension to his deal.
“It’s going to be a little bit different, but it’s exciting when a new coach comes in and everyone kind of starts again.
“The club has got big ambitions and they’re in a good place.
“We’ve got pretty much the same playing group as last season, so it’s a time to improve on what we’ve done over the last two years under (ex-manager) Marco (Kurz).
“The boys are hungry and hopefully we can get some more silverware.”
Lia featured in 27 matches in all competitions last season, demonstrating his adaptability and quality in the Reds’ march to a top-four finish and FFA Cup win.
SA-born talent Brook meanwhile hoped to make up for lost time, after back-to-back injuries meant he was unable to make a first-team appearance during a frustrating campaign.
“With my contract finishing this year and with the injuries I’ve had, my future was always in the back of my mind while doing rehab,” Brook, 18, said.
“But I guess it shows that the club has faith in me which is a great feeling.
“I had no second thoughts about signing after everything the club has done for me and I jumped on it straight away.
“I’m very confident about the club’s future.”
Brook became the Reds’ second-youngest A-League debutant last year against Sydney FC, but tore the medial collateral ligament in his knee playing for United’s youth team in December.
Just as the former Australian under-17 international was entering the final week of his recovery, he was struck down by a recurrence of shin stress fractures.
“Injuries are never fun, especially when you do two in-a-row with no time in-between,” said Brook, who returned to action with the Reds’ NPL side in April.
“It was really frustrating sitting on the sidelines because this was the year I wanted to try to push and breakthrough to the first team.
“But it’s definitely made me mentally and physically stronger.
“Next (A-League) season I just to play games and have a season where there’s no injuries.”
Lia, who racked up his 253rd A-League match last summer, had a chance to nail down a starting spot following the departure of captain and linchpin Isaias.
The ex-Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix man was excited by the challenge of working under Dutchman Verbeek in his 19th year as a professional.
“I’ve heard he (Verbeek) is pretty tough,” said Lia, while holidaying in Italy.
“But he’s talked about playing more of an attacking style compared to what we’ve played the last few years, so it sounds exciting.
“At this stage you’ve got to listen to your body, but at the moment I feel really good.
“By the time pre-season starts, I’ll be really ready to get into it.”
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