CAHILL TARGETS OZ WORLD CUP SQUAD

TIM Cahill has announced he will l eave Melbourne City with immediate effect.

The former Everton and Millwall attacking midfielder, who joined the A-League side in August 2016, revealed the news on his Instagram account on his 38th birthday.

He said: “Playing in the domestic league in Australia was always an important career goal for me, and my experience here has been fulfilling from start to finish.

“I want to thank Melbourne City, the players and the staff, and especially the fans.”

The Australia international scored on his debut against city rivals Melbourne Victory — a long-range half-volley that was later awarded A-League Goal of the Year 2016-17 — and went on to score 12 further goals for the club with the winner in last year’s Westfield FFA Cup Final a highlight.

He added: “It was amazing to help bring the first piece of silverware to this club, and this makes me very proud.

“It’s never easy to say goodbye but it was great to win last weekend and make a contribution.”

Cahill said he would now concentrate on making the Australia squad for next summer’s World Cup finals in Russia.

“Qualifying for the World Cup has been a great adventure, and it would be a massive honour to represent my country in Russia. That will be my focus in the coming months,” he said.