Paper Talk: How the world reacted to Usain Bolt news

Talk of eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt’s impending trial with the Central Coast Mariners has gone right around the globe.

Elsewhere, Mark Rudan has taken charge of his first game as Wellington Phoenix boss while Melbourne City are about to embark on a club-first this pre-season.

CONFIRMED: Mariners in negotiations with Usain Bolt

READ: What Bolt must do to secure Mariners deal

It’s all in our Hyundai A-League Paper Talk.

BOLT’S POTENTIAL MARINERS LINK GOES GLOBAL

While there’s still a little bit of water to go under the bridge before we see him in the Hyundai A-League, news of 100m and 200m world record holder Usain Bolt’s possible move to Gosford is making waves around the world.

Bolt, a Manchester United fan who attended Monday morning’s (AEST) FIFA World Cup final in Moscow, retired from the track after the world championships in London last year.

He has always had a desire to try his luck as a footballer and has previously trialled with German giants Borussia Dortmund and Stromsgodset in Norway.

Check out where news of the Jamaican’s potential deal with the Mariners – on a six-week trial - has made headlines.

RUDAN MAKES PERFECT START WITH PHOENIX

With Usain Bolt, Tim Cahill and the Westfield Matildas dominating the headlines on Tuesday, Mark Rudan’s first match in charge of Wellington almost went unnoticed.

For the record, Rudan’s Phoenix career started with a 1-0 friendly win over Wairarapa United, with exciting teenager Sarpreet Singh grabbing the only goal.

It came inside the first 10 minutes, with some great play down the left by Nathan Burns ending with Singh receiving the ball in the box and firing off a shot, which beat the keeper with the aid of a deflection.

Wellington also missed a second-half penalty in a match that featured mostly some of the club’s youngsters and triallists.

CITY SET FOR INDIAN TAKEOFF

Melbourne City will head into unchartered territory on Thursday, when they head to India for a pre-season tournament.

Warren Joyce will take a mix of established stars and emerging youngsters to Kochi, where they will take on Indian outfit Kerala Blasters and La Liga’s Girona FC.

Left-back Scott Jamieson is part of the squad heading to the sub-continent and believes the trip is just what the side needs to prepare for the Hyundai A-League 2018/19 season.

“I think for players the pre-season is such a long one that you don’t really want to be in the same environment for so long,” Jamieson said on Melbourne City’s website.

“[We’re] going to India for a fantastic tournament, one where we get to experience a different culture, different style of football, and also spread our brand, Melbourne City but also the City Football brand over there [which] is something we’re really appreciative of.”

“For the new players coming in it’s also a case of them being able to integrate [into the team] pretty quickly.

“Being away from home is always a case of getting to know people a lot quicker than usual so we’re all really excited.”

Scott Jamieson
Scott Jamieson
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This article was originally published on the Hyundai A-League website.
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