Socceroos fullback and Melbourne Heart star, Michael Marrone is off to China, to play for its Super League.
Melbourne Heart is laughing after they secured a six-figure sum for the star’s draft.
Marrone has been one of the most consistent players in the A-League over the past three seasons, and made his Socceroo debut last month in the East Asian Cup qualifying tournament against Macau.
The 25-year-old was farewelled at training on Wednesday after the club agreed to sell him, and he will not play against Sydney FC this weekend.
Heart has not disclosed the club that Marrone will be going to, but it is understood Shanghai Shenxin is his likely destination.
“We’ve agreed on a fee we’re certainly very comfortable with,” Heart football manager John Didulica said.
Marrone is another of what is becoming a production line of Heart players nurtured, becoming first-team regulars, then transferring abroad.
Curtis Good, Brendan Hamill and Eli Babalj have all been sold overseas in the past year after excelling for the A-League club.
Marrone, who had been with Adelaide United before a move to ill-fated North Queensland Fury fell over and left him without a club, is a success story the Heart are proud of.
“To take him from the scrapheap of North Queensland Fury and then move him on to China is a big win for us in terms of building a sustainable club,” Didulica said.
“What Michael brought us was great consistency and great durability.”
Heart also appears to have depth to replace him, with Tasmanian teenager Jeremy Walker impressing at right-back when Marrone was on Socceroos duty.
Didulica also flagged the prospect of midfielder Jonatan Germano, who played regularly in as a fullback in Argentina, shuffling over to cover for him.
With the club expecting ex-Socceroos midfielder Vince Grella to be back in full training within two weeks, that could ensure an immediate first-team spot once the World Cup star recovers from his injury problems.
