Krhin headlines Western exits as ALM champs prepare for title defence

Less than two weeks on from their first Isuzu UTE A-League Championship and Western United have already turned their attention to 2022-23, releasing three players.

Former Inter midfielder and Slovenian import Rene Krhin headlines the departures, along with Jerry Skotadis after the pair played prominent roles in Western’s path to A-League Men glory in just their third season.

Ivan Vujica also departs following the conclusion of his contract.

“We thank Rene, Jerry and Ivan for their efforts in green and black and wish them all the best with their next steps,” said general manager of football Mal Impiombato.

“All three players have made a strong contribution in our young history and we wish them and their families all the very best with their future endeavours.”

Krhin, who worked alongside Jose Mourinho at Serie A giants Inter, arrived at the start of the season and scored once in 17 ALM appearances, with injury forcing him to sit out the Grand Final victory over Melbourne City late last month.

A substitute in the 2-0 win that dethroned City at AAMI Park, Skotadis had been with Western since their inception in 2019-20, amassing 43 league appearances.

Vujica arrived in June 2019 and featured in 12 games for Western.