“We wish Dean all the best, but there are other areas of the squad I would now like to bolster,” Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson said.

Heffernan is an A-League veteran after a succesful start with Central Coast Mariners before a disappointing stint in Europe saw him return to Australia and the Mariners.

He had another Euro jaunt with 10 games at Huddersfield Town before the 2010 World Cup but joined new A-League side Melbourne Heart for their debut season last year .

He was unable to hold down a first team place on a regular basis and was eventually freed from his contract to join Glory at the end of last season.

But before he could even play a single game for the WA side, he went on loan to China and has now decided not to come back.

Heffernan's decision comes after Glory were last year hogtied by Chris Coyne's loan spell in China which ended up with him missing the whole of last season through red tape and then injury.