In a terse statement the club advised: “The mutual termination agreement to end van Dijk’s contract early is in the best interests of both parties.

"Adelaide United would like to thank Sergio for his contribution during his time at the club and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours."

An evidently relieved van Dijk took to Twitter to acknowledge well-wishers.

“Thank you to all my AUFC team mates for the great times that we had!” he tweeted. And to the supporters: “Thank you to all the fans for all the support through the years!!!”

The former Golden Boot winner, frozen out of the first team for most of this season, was widely tipped to replace injured striker Bruce Djite in Friday’s clash against Melbourne Heart.

More recently he has spoken out about his desire to leave Adelaide.

Fronting the media this week for the first time since July he said: "I want to play as soon as possible, so if I can find something and it's a good deal for everyone, I hope to go.

"I understand that people will say 'try and keep him here' (in Adelaide), but I want to play as well.

"I'm third (striker) in the pecking order and my chances are really small, so I think it's time to move on.

"If I can leave, I'm happy to leave and start a new chapter.

"The Adelaide chapter is closed. It's sad, but I know in a way that's football and it can be a hard world."

He added: "I'm not angry. I am frustrated and a bit disappointed in how things have been working out, but the next step is my new future and a new chapter, and I hope I can turn this around."

The Dutch-born player has Indonesian grandparents and for years publicly expressed a desire to play for Indonesia but his quest for naturalisation has been a protracted one.

Earlier this month Persib’s marketing director Muhammad Farhan said the club was seeking a two to three year contract with the striker but citizenship remained a sticking point.