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ISL side FC Pune City's defender Matt Mills has joined League Two side Forest Green Rovers on a one-year player-coach deal. The 32-year-old played 15 matches for the Stallions and returns back to England after having played only one season in India.
"I hope my experience is going to be valuable and something I can bring to the group next year. I've had promotions before so hopefully, I can bring that to Forest Green. But, ultimately I've come to try and play as many games as I can and help the team," Matt Mills was quoted as saying to the BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
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Penning a deal with Forest Green Rovers means a reunion for Mills with his brother Joseph, both of whom came through the youth academies of Southampton.
Mills' tenure with FC Pune City in the ISL was his first outside England where he played for numerous Championship and League One clubs like Southampton, Coventry City, Bournemouth, Colchester United, Doncaster Rovers, Reading, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, and Barnsley. He even played two matches for Manchester City in the Premier League.
Matt Mills was deployed as a center-back by the Pune outfit, partnering Martin Diaz in the heart of the defense. In the second half of the ISL when Phil Brown took charge of the team, FC Pune City started playing with a back-three, fielding only one foreigner. The coach would rotate him and Martin Diaz for a spot in the starting line-up.
According to various reports, the ISL franchise is currently in financial duress and they are looking forward to offloading the players who have high wage bills. Iain Hume even complained to the FIFA about the non-payment of his wages and, AIFF directed FC Pune City to clear the dues of all the players by August.
Wayne Vaz and Gaurav Bora's loan spells to Churchill Brothers and Chennai City FC respectively are over and the duo might play for them in the upcoming season of the ISL. Youngsters like Abhishek Halder, Mohammed Yasir, Jakob Vanlalhlimpuia, and Rohit Kumar might be given more prominent roles.
Phil Brown has signed an extension with FC Pune City which will keep him till 2021.
