Shinji Ono celebrates his goal against the Victory. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
WESTERN Sydney are in no rush to extend Shinji Ono's contract despite the threat of losing the Japanese star to a rival A-League club at the end of the season.
The 33-year-old midfielder has expressed an interest in staying in Australia, but Wanderers executive chairman Lyall Gorman said there was no urgency in attempting to secure his signature.
"We don't take any player for granted but he's very committed to our club,'' Gorman said today.
"He loves this club, he loves the environment, he loves the playing staff, he's very committed.
"So we don't feel any pressure to rush things with him because of other clubs.''
The Wanderers have announced the retention of skipper Michael Beauchamp, goalkeeper Ante Covic and Croatian midfielder Mateo Poljak in the last week.
Gorman says they've held "informal talks'' with Ono but will only begin proper negotiations after their blockbuster clash with table-toppers Central Coast on Sunday.
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"This club is not built around Shinji Ono,'' Gorman said.
"We're looking at our whole recruitment strategy right now and obviously Shinji will be a very relevant part of that.
"So we'll get Sunday out of the way and we'll bunker down and start to advance talks with a raft of players including Shinji next week.''
A veteran of three World Cups, Ono is showing flashes of the form that made him Asian player of the year in 2002 and looks to be genuinely enjoying his football.
His wife Chieko and two young children, who live in Japan, are currently in Sydney for an extended period - a factor Gorman believes is adding to Ono's current blistering form.
He also feels delaying his contract talks isn't hurting either.
"When you look at player recruitment some players need to be kept hungry where others love certainty and stability about their future,'' Gorman said.
"With Shinji, it's a case of if it's not broken don't fix it.
"He's just in a great space at the moment and just loving his football so we don't feel we need to rush to get things finalised.''
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Ono has quickly become a crowd favourite with his exciting play.
Despite setting Parramatta Stadium alight with his brace on Tuesday, so humble is the Japanese star he criticised his performance in an on-field interview saying he still needed to improve.
"I introduced him to my little 11-year-old the other day and when Liam said to him, 'You have great skills, Shinji,' his words to him were, 'I still practice every single day,'" Gorman said.
"That's the level of a true professional.
"He's the most humble guy you'll ever find.''
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