Phillip Cancar has his foot in the door for a long-awaited European opportunity after inking a deal with Scottish club Livingston FC.
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The Wollongong defender will join the club next month, with the two-year contract announced on Friday. While only 21, Cancar will bring a wealth of experience the Scottish Premiership outfit, having previously enjoyed an overseas stint with Croatian clubs Lokomotiva and Hrvatski Dragovoljac.
He returned to Australia in May 2020 due to the threat of COVID-19 and earthquake while in lockdown in Croatia, linking up with the Western Sydney Wanderers, where he has spent the past two seasons.
Now, Cancar - who has duel Australian and Croatian citizenships - said he was excited for his next adventure.
"My dream is to go to Europe, so once this opportunity came, I didn't really hesitate. There's a few Aussies over there already and they're queuing up to go at the moment, so once the opportunity came, I thought 'why not?'," the Young Socceroo told the Mercury.
"They're a very underrated club. When I watched a few games of Livingston, and how they play, I thought it was perfect for me. They're very aggressive, very quick and play end-to-end football, which is the kind of football that I like.
"I'll be heading over in a month or so, once my visa gets approved and I can get some tickets over. I just want to keep getting better and enjoy the experience. I'll take it day-by-day and try learn as much as I can over there, I'm very keen for it."
The move comes after Cancar's A-League Men's campaign wrapped up with the Wanderers. The defender had 10 starts in his second season in the red and black, becoming a constant in coach Mark Rudan's thinking during the back half of the competition.
"I got to play a fair few games. Obviously I wished I could have played more, but I think every footballer wants to play more games. But I'm very grateful for the opportunity that the club and coaching staff gave me," he said.
"I think the more you play, the more mature you get. Every day you go in there and try learn something new."
Cancar's signing has been warmly welcomed by Livingston FC manager David Martindale, who believes he can "have a major impact over the coming seasons".
"Phillip came highly recommended via trusted sources in Australia where he has been playing in the A-League. I have watched a lot of footage of Phillip and spoke to various personnel in the A-League and the feedback has been extremely positive from everyone," Martindale said.
"I think its a fantastic bit of business for the football club. He has just turned 21 and I think he will prove to a be a huge asset for the club in the next couple of years."
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