Babalj joins PEC Zwolle on loan

Australian striker Eli Babalj has linked up with Trent Sainsbury’s high-flying Dutch club PEC Zwolle on loan from AZ Alkmaar until the end of the season.

The former Melbourne Heart and Red Star Belgrade forward scored a string of goals from AZ’s second team but was unable to crack the senior side after joining it in April 2013 from Heart.

But that has not deterred PEC coach Ron Jans giving the powerful 22-year-old – who made two Socceroos appearances back in 2012 – from offering him the chance to force his way into a starting line-up which includes AFC Asian Cup winner Sainsbury, who has covered himself in glory in Australia over the past month.

The former Australian youth international, who scored 12 goals in 44 A-League appearances, could become a permanent member of the PEC squad, should the club take up the option to sign him at season’s end.

PEC, the defending Dutch Cup winner, lies in fourth spot in the Eredivisie, seven points adrift of leader Ajax after 20 matches.

Sainsbury, meanwhile, returns to the Netherlands after his man-of-the-match performance for the Socceroos in their 2-1 final win over Korea Republic.