Phnom Penh Crown’s Australian midfield playmaker, Adriano Pellegrino, has left the club to join Thailand Division 2 Northeast team Udonthani FC for a substantial fee.

Adriano joined Crown halfway through last season and made a massive contribution with his assists and goals as Crown won the Metfone C-League.

Crown head coach Sam Schweingruber made it clear Adriano’s departure is a big loss. “As a club we are fortunate to have more than a month to find a strong replacement and will look for players to come on try out and help fill the gap Adriano has left,” he said.