Official release from Melbourne Victory

Melbourne Victory and Sports & Entertainment Ltd can today confirm that Socceroos star Harry Kewell will not be returning to the club for a second season, after he opted to stay in England for a number of family reasons.

Kewell, who scored 8 goals in his debut season, brought unprecedented interest to the Hyundai A-League when it was first announced that the former Leeds, Liverpool and Galatasaray man had signed for Melbourne Victory in August of last year.

Speaking from the family home in Manchester, Kewell said: "It was one of the toughest decisions we've had to make. I enjoyed playing for Victory and living in Melbourne, but family comes first and together we made a decision that it was best for us to remain close to our family at this time."

Melbourne Victory Coach Ange Postecoglou was understandably disappointed by the news, "Harry's a fantastic player and I was looking forward to working with him this season, but he has family matters that need his attention so while it's unfortunate, I completely understand.

"We'd been working very hard to come to an agreement with him and we were extremely confident both parties were close to finalising the deal, but these things happen and we wish Harry and his family all the best."

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