RHYS WILLIAMS will sever his ties with Middlesbrough in the summer and return to Australia, having agreed a one-year deal with top-flight side Perth Glory.

Williams, who was due to have become a free agent at the end of the season, has agreed terms with Perth, who are managed by Teessider Kenny Lowe.

Lowe, who started his career at Hartlepool and also had spells at Darlington and Scarborough, has been close with Williams since the versatile defender emerged as a teenager in the Australian academy system and helped persuade the 27-year-old to move to Middlesbrough.

Williams made his professional debut for Boro in 2008, and was linked with a possible multi-million pound move to the Premier League after a successful loan spell at Burnley.

However, his eight years at the Riverside were blighted by a succession of serious injuries, one of which prevented him from playing for Australia at the 2010 World Cup.

He damaged his Achilles at Wigan in January 2014, an injury that sidelined him for almost a year, and suffered a recurrence of the problem when he played in an FA Cup tie at Barnsley 12 months later.

“I’m very excited to come home to Perth and join Kenny Lowe, whom I’ve known for many years,” said Williams, who will join his younger brother, Aryn, in the Perth Glory squad. “He’s been a mentor to me since I was a teenager.

“After 11 years in the UK, the opportunity to reunite with my family and re-join a manager who believes in me and my football is the tonic I need for my career. I know a lot of the boys at the club and I really can’t wait until the pre-season starts.”