ISL: Chennaiyin sign Australian Chris Herd

Chennai, Feb 1 (IANS) Chennaiyin FC on Friday announced the signing of 29-year-old versatile Australian Christopher Herd till the end of the current season.

Herd can play across the line in defence and in midfield and he joins after a recent spell with Thai top division side Buriram United. He has featured for Aston Villa in the English Premier League and was part of the Australia squad that lifted the 2015 AFC Asian Cup trophy.

Herd will be eligible for selection for Chennaiyin FC's Indian Super League tie against FC Pune City on February 2.

"Chennaiyin FC is a new challenge for me and one I am genuinely excited about. I am looking forward to help the club pick up as many points as possible in the remainder of the ISL campaign and of course there are two cup competitions to look forward to after that," said an upbeat Herd on arriving in Chennai.

"In Chris (Herd), we are adding versatility to our squad with the focus being on the upcoming cup competitions. They will be our top priority and Chris will bring a lot of quality and experience in a vital area of the pitch," said Head Coach John Gregory on Herd's acquisition.

Herd is a product of the Aston Villa youth academy, having joined the club at the age of 15. After loan spells with teams in the English lower leagues, Herd made his senior team debut for Villa in November 2010.

Herd went on to feature for Villa in the English top flight for five years till 2015. During this period, Herd also had brief loan stints at Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic in the English Championship.

After leaving Villa, Herd then played in the English League One between 2015 and 2017 with Chesterfield and then Gillingham before returning home to Australia to join A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers. After a season with Wanderers, Herd made the move to Asia in June 2018 for a short stint with Thai outfit Buriram United, where he finished runners-up in the Thailand FA Cup. He has been capped three times for the Socceroos.