A-League's Sydney re-sign two 36-year-olds as youth exits come back to bite them

Sydney FC A-League coach Steve Corica has confirmed the club have re-signed Johnny Warren medalist Milos Ninkovic and Brazilian striker Bobo to one-year deals.

Corica confirmed that the playmaker and striker have both re-signed in his press conference last night after Sydney lost the A-League Grand Final 3-1 to Melbourne City.

Hear from Head Coach Steve Corica on his thoughts on the Grand Final.#SydneyIsSkyBlue pic.twitter.com/9eJkN1hAC9
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) June 27, 2021

Ninkovic won his second Johnny Warren medal this season, an honour he shared with Wellington Phoenix's Ulises Davila, after 26 A-League appearances, four goals and four assists.

Now 36-years-old, Ninkovic missed Sydney's semi-final win against Adelaide United with a calf-strain, and was relegated to just 20 minutes on the pitch in the Grand Final loss.

Both star foreigners played peripheral figures in the Grand Final, after Bobo - who is also 36-years-old and only rejoined the club in January - was withdrawn after 30 minutes due to Luke Brattan's red card.

Bobo scored 11 goals in 21 appearances this season, and netted in the semi-final win over Adelaide.

But he only played a full 90 minutes twice since joining the club, while Ninkovic also managed a full match just twice in his last eight appearances.

Both visa stars have growing competition from inside Sydney's ranks.

18-year-old Patrick Wood is attempting to burst down the door after four goals in 400 minutes of A-League action this season, which is slightly more prolific than Bobo.

Meanwhile, Trent Buhagiar - still just 23 - will be returning to action this season.

Luke Ivanovic, who had such a promising start to his Sydney career, has been essentially relegated to a bit-player over the past season.

He now appears fifth in the pecking order, so may look to follow the lead of Marco Tilio, who left Sydney and won the Grand Final as a star attraction as a result. Wood is also now half-way through his two-year scholarship deal.

Last season, Sydney lost Cameron Devlin to Wellington Phoenix. They've also recently been unable to offer pathways to first-team football for Olyroos star Ryan Teague, and Dinamo Zagreb's Anton Mlinaric.

Sydney's academy coach has previously made it clear the club doesn't mind producing youth for other A-League teams. Sydney have certainly been more successful by focusing on experienced talent.

But given City's demonstrative success in both the Premiership and Championship rounds with a younger squad - especially the way Tilio and Stefan Colakovski seemed electric compared to Sydney's midfielders in the Grand Final - it will be interesting to see if Corica shifts his attitude towards youth next season, or doubles down on a more experienced attacking set up.

Corica's midfield and attack now consist of the two 36-year-olds, 34-year-old Alexander Baumjohann, 34-year-old Adam Le Fondre and 31-year-old Kosta Barbarouses.

Given Baumjohann's mixed form this season, the loss of Devlin now seems particularly stark.

With Sydney still excelling in the A-League (especially given the Socceroos disruption this season), and the likes of Ninkovic in excellent form, the decision may already have been made.

But given the ages of its stars, Sydney will have to rebuild sooner rather than later. It's now a question of how many of the club's young guns will still be there when they do.