Former Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa goalkeeper Mark Bosnich signed a seven-week contract with A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old keeper, who last played in the Australian top flight in December 1991, has been on trial with the reigning A-League champions for the last month and is eligible to face Sydney on Saturday.
The 1997 Oceania Footballer of the Year was expected to agree a five-week contract with the Mariners to coincide with Danny Vukovic's five-week ban following his clash with a referee during last seasons A-League Grand Final in February.
But the deal has been extended to include this weekend's highly-anticipated match and the meeting with Wellington Phoenix on 19 October - the weekend after Vukovic's return.
Vukovic, 23, is still eligible for Saturday's game, which means Bosnich is not guaranteed a starting berth.
He could have to wait until the Mariners' clash against Queensland Roar to make his A-League debut.
Bosnich has not played professional football since he was sacked by Chelsea and handed a nine-month ban by the Football Association after testing positive for cocaine in 2003.
‘I'm just taking it step by step, this is the first little tick in the box and I'm very thankful to everybody at Central Coast,’ said Bosnich.
‘I feel very, very fit, I've still got a long way to go fitness-wise and I think that will come with match practice.
‘I'm looking forward in the next three weeks to getting back to a certain level that is comparable to where I was in the past.’
Pressed on his plans for the future, Bosnich would not rule out a return to England should an offer arise.
‘If I was fortunate enough to get an offer I would sit down with every one concerned who has an interest and who I care about and discuss that, but I don't really think that's up to me,’ he added.
‘If someone was generous enough to make an offer then I would consider it and I'd be totally honest and up front with Central Coast - there's no smoke and mirrors here.’
Mariners Executive chairman Lyall Gorman has indicated that the Mariners may be interested in securing the veteran stopper's signature on a long-term deal.
‘I think it's fair to say this is not necessarily the end of our journey with Mark,’ Gorman said.
‘We've got the Asian Champions League next year, Mark's got some unfinished business back in London he wants to go and address so we'll certainly be talking to Mark and his management past this.
‘It's a start of a new journey both for us and for Mark and certainly there's some options around Asia and future involvement at the Mariners in the years to come.’
