Melbourne Victory recruit George Timotheou eyes debut against Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo

Victory will face English powerhouse Manchester United next month, and he wants to be there on July 15 marking five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

"It's a massive game. It's one of the biggest teams in the world," the 24-year-old said.

"That's the first game on the calendar and it's a massive one, so I'm definitely looking forward to it.

"Marking the likes of Ronaldo and other great players in that team will be amazing and an experience that I'll cherish forever.

"Hopefully I can do everything in the first few weeks to get some minutes, if not start."

The Canberran has signed a one-year deal with Victory, following two seasons in the A-League Men with Adelaide United.

Another deal with the Reds was on the cards, but Timotheou opted to make the move to the rival club for one key reason.

The chance to work under Victory coach Tony Popovic.

"Working with Tony was probably the biggest reason behind the move to Melbourne, because he gets the best out of his players," he said.

"He was a central defender, like I am, so I think he can impart a lot of wisdom on me and I can learn a lot from him.

"Victory are probably the biggest club in Australia, with the best facilities and such a rich history.

"I've always kept my eye on them, as I've always been a fan of the way they play and the players that they have."

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Next season will mark his third in the ALM, after he spent time in the German Bundesliga with Schalke, and in Belgium with Zulte Waregem, before returning to Australia in 2020.

Adelaide made it to the semi-finals last season, as did Victory, before failing to earn a grand final ticket.

The centre back featured 19 times in red, inconsistent minutes plaguing him in Adelaide.

Timotheou wants to go all the way with Victory in 2022-23 and earn more playing time in the navy blue jersey.

"I started getting a bit of game time, and that's obviously when the interest from Victory came about," he said.

"I think it was just after the New Year when Victory approached Adelaide and asked them if they could enter negotiations with me.

"[Adelaide] offered me a new two-year extension but I declined it ... as the last two seasons have been a bit disappointing, because I would have liked to play a lot more.

"I just want to play a much as I can next season, so I hope this new move and fresh start brings that. That's all I'm really focused on."

His pre-season with Victory is set to start in Melbourne later this month.

In addition to Popovic's coaching, the former Belconnen United junior is looking forward to joining and learning off the club's experienced defensive line.

"All of them are quite experienced with [Matthew] Spiranovic, [Roderik] Miranda, and [Brendan] Hamill," he said.

"They're very, very experienced, not just in Australia but overseas and internationally, too. So I think it will be a massive gain to my game to learn off them, get tips and play alongside them."

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