The 29-year-old chose not to return to Australia after the off-season break, opting to stay in the Middle East and citing family as the key factor in his decision-making.

Brisbane Roar coach Rado Vidosic thanked Adnan for his season-long contribution to the club in which he made 30 appearances and scored one spectacular goal – a memorable free-kick in the dying stages against Sydney FC at Suncorp Stadium.

“Mohamed has moved on,” Vidosic said, after the team’s first day of pre-season training. “He has decided to stay in the Gulf Region, I am not sure where he’ll be playing yet but we wish him all the best.

“He was a very important part of our team last season and we will try to replace him - we’ve still got a couple of overseas spots left to fill.”

Other departed members of the Brisbane squad include Andrew Redmayne (Melbourne Heart), Matt Mundy (Rochedale Rovers, Brisbane Premier League) and Issey Nakajima-Farran (AEK Larnica, Cyprus).

With the addition of new boy Ben Halloran, the Roar now have 19 contracted Hyundai A-League players with two foreign visa spots left to fill.