Sydney FC have made their first move of the January transfer window by recruiting Manchester City's Anthony Caceres for the rest of the A-League season.
Caceres made 63 appearances for Central Coast when he was sold to the Premier League heavyweight in 2016 before being loaned out to sister club Melbourne City twice.
He had made five appearances for Warren Joyce's side this campaign -- four of them off the bench -- but his loan ended on New Year's Day and the Sky Blues snapped him up.
Where Caceres fits in their midfield remains to be seen, with the 26-year-old unlikely to displace the likes of Milos Ninkovic, Siem De Jong, Brandon O'Neill and Josh Brillante.
Daniel de Silva has also been unable to crack the starting line-up, but Sydney FC coach Steve Corica has been open about his desire to add some spark to his attack.
"Anthony will undoubtedly strengthen our squad and provide further competition for places," Corica said on Wednesday.
"He is technically gifted and is a very skilful and creative player who I think our members will enjoy watching.
"With the AFC Champions League coming up and a lot of games for us during January, Anthony's ability to play as a No. 10 or a No. 6 will give us extra depth to our squad."
For Caceres, who also made seven appearances for United Arab Emirates club Al-Wasl in between stints at City, it is also a chance to return to his hometown.
He will be available to play in Friday's match against Central Coast at Jubilee Stadium.
"It was a pretty easy decision to make," he said. "Sydney FC are the biggest club in the A-League and to get an opportunity to come here, back to my home city, and be a part of a talented and successful team is one I couldn't pass up.
"There is a lot of football to be played, including AFC Champions League and I want to get game time and play as much as I can."
