Kusini Yengi to join Nicolas Milanovic at Scottish Premiership club
Yengi, 26, spent the past two seasons at Portsmouth but wasn't offered a new contract by the English Championship outfit.
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin was quick to pounce, securing the powerful striker on a three-year deal.
'He is tall, strong and quick, he will work hard for the team and lead the line,' Thelin said.
'He has also proven at both Portsmouth and with the Socceroos that he can score goals on a consistent basis.'
Yengi has netted six goals in 11 appearances for the Socceroos but was overlooked for the current national squad, which is set to secure FIFA World Cup qualification on Wednesday morning (AEST) against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.
However, a strong season with Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership and the Europa League should help Yengi in his bid to be selected in the Socceroos squad for next year's World Cup should, as expected, Australia qualify.
'It feels great to be an Aberdeen player and I can't wait to get started,' he said.
'I'm looking forward to playing here for several years. The manager and staff have all been very positive and their enthusiasm was one of the main reasons I chose to come here.
'I loved the project that was pitched to me, what the manager and coaches want to achieve and what they stand for, (and) where they think they can utilise me as a player to help the club.
'Every kid dreams of playing European football and playing for big clubs like Aberdeen, so I am very excited to play in those competitions and represent Aberdeen.'
Yengi's move to the Dons comes less than a month after Milanovic also signed a multi-year deal with the club that upset Celtic in the recent Scottish Cup final.
Yengi and Milanovic spent half a season together at the Wanderers in 2023.
Another ex-Wanderer, goalkeeper Nicholas Suman, who also played for Macarthur FC, also joined Aberdeen in May after spending two years at Scottish lower league club Cove Rangers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Stuard Broad hits back at David Warner as Ashes war of words erupts, cricket 2025 news
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News. There's nearly four months until the first Ashes Test in Perth, but the war of words is already well underway. Ex-England bowler Stuart Broad has hit back at comments from former Australian rival David Warner, who took a gentle dig at superstar batter Joe Root ahead of the marquee series. Speaking to BBC Sport, Warner suggested that Root, the second-leading run-scorer in Test history, was susceptible to LBW dismissals, warning that Australian quick Josh Hazlewood will be targeting his front pad during this summer's Ashes campaign. Root averages 51.09 in Tests, but that figure slips to 31.40 when facing Hazlewood. Watch England vs India Test Series LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1 > 'The big anchor there is Rooty, who is yet to score a hundred in Australia,' Warner said. 'Hazlewood tends to have his number quite a lot. He will have to take the surfboard off his front leg.' Most times dismissing Joe Root in Tests 11 – Pat Cummins (AUS) 11 – Jasprit Bumrah (IND) 10 – Josh Hazlewood (AUS) 9 – Ravindra Jadeja (IND) England's Joe Root. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP Root has cracked 15 Test hundreds since the start of 2022, averaging 64.64 in the game's longest format during that period. However, the right-hander has struggled on previous Ashes tours to Australia, scoring 892 runs at 35.68 with no centuries across 15 matches. The Yorkshireman has been toppled by Hazlewood ten times in the Test arena – but as pointed out by Broad, only three of those dismissals were LBW, the most recent of which occurred way back in 2019. 'I've never heard England's best ever batters front pad called a surfboard,' Broad tweeted. 'Just for clarity. Hazlewood has got Rooty LBW in Test cricket three times. Three.' Since the start of 2013, no cricketer has been dismissed LBW in the Test arena more often than Root with 51, accounting for 19.39 per cent of his wickets, which is noticeably higher than teammates Ben Stokes (12.69), Ollie Pope (15.84) and Zak Crawley (14.29). Warner, who will represent the London Spirit in the upcoming Hundred tournament, and Broad enjoyed an entertaining Ashes rival, with the Englishman removing the Australian opener on 17 occasions. Most LBW dismissals in Tests since 2013 51 – Joe Root (ENG) 36 – Virat Kohli (IND) 33 – Steve Smith (AUS) 31 – Kraigg Brathwaite (WI) 30 – Jonny Bairstow (ENG) Originally published as Ashes war of words erupts as Broad hits back at Warner's swipe
Sydney Morning Herald
6 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Maroons, Raiders legend Sam Backo dies
Australian, Queensland and Canberra rugby league legend Sam Backo has died, aged 64. A proud Warrgamay Indigenous man, he played seven State of Origin matches for the Maroons, six Tests for Australia, 116 matches for the Canberra Raiders and 20 for the Brisbane Broncos between 1983 and 1990 in a storied career. NRL identities have paid tribute, including former Maroons captain Wally Lewis and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys. 'It is with great sadness that I learned this afternoon of the passing of a great mate – Sam Backo,' Lewis wrote on Facebook. 'It was a privilege to play beside Sam, and to have him as a mate. I am very grateful [former Maroon and Bronco] Gene Miles and I got to visit Sam 10 days ago in hospital and have a few laughs with him. 'RIP Sam, you will greatly missed. My deepest sympathies to your loving wife Chrissie and family.' V'Landys said Backo 'was as tough as they come, a larger-than-life character who was as recognisable as he was resilient'. 'Through a successful career with Canberra Raiders, Brisbane Broncos, not to mention Queensland and Australia, he was a one-of-a-kind footballer.
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
Maroons, Raiders legend Sam Backo dies
Australian, Queensland and Canberra rugby league legend Sam Backo has died, aged 64. A proud Warrgamay Indigenous man, he played seven State of Origin matches for the Maroons, six Tests for Australia, 116 matches for the Canberra Raiders and 20 for the Brisbane Broncos between 1983 and 1990 in a storied career. NRL identities have paid tribute, including former Maroons captain Wally Lewis and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys. 'It is with great sadness that I learned this afternoon of the passing of a great mate – Sam Backo,' Lewis wrote on Facebook. 'It was a privilege to play beside Sam, and to have him as a mate. I am very grateful [former Maroon and Bronco] Gene Miles and I got to visit Sam 10 days ago in hospital and have a few laughs with him. 'RIP Sam, you will greatly missed. My deepest sympathies to your loving wife Chrissie and family.' V'Landys said Backo 'was as tough as they come, a larger-than-life character who was as recognisable as he was resilient'. 'Through a successful career with Canberra Raiders, Brisbane Broncos, not to mention Queensland and Australia, he was a one-of-a-kind footballer.
