Ange Postecoglou says Mustafa Amini’s maturity is the reason for his selection in his latest Caltex Socceroos squad

After bursting onto the scene as a teenager in 2010 with Central Coast Mariners and signed by Jurgen Klopp a year later, Mustafa Amini has long been touted as a Caltex Socceroos star of the future.

Musti’s European adventure

The playmaker earned a dream move to German giants Borussia Dortmund in 2011 and looked set to become an integral figure for the national team.
But the move didn’t quite work out with Amini leaving the club in 2015 having been only on the fringes of Dortmund’s stellar first team squad under Jurgen Klopp.

He headed to Denmark looking to kick-start his career with Randers and now AGF, and while it’s taken longer than many expected, the popular midfielder is finally starting to realise his potential.

Ange on Musti’s rise to the Caltex Socceroos

A breakout season in the Danish Superliga has helped Amini recapture some of his best form and earned the Sydney-born midfielder a place in Ange Postecoglou’s 23-man Socceroos squad for upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Iraq and UAE.

“Musti’s been on the fringes for a few camps. He’s kind of missed out at the last minute. We’ve obviously got a fair bit of depth in the midfield areas,” Postecoglou told reporters on Tuesday.

 

“I’ve been watching him particularly since they’ve [AGF] come back from their winter break and he’s assuming a pretty important role in his team. He’s showing a real maturity.

“There’s never been any doubt that Musti’s a talented young guy. Again this camp gives us a real good chance to see him and measure him up.”

Socceroos’ midfield depth

With skipper Mile Jedinak, in-form trio Aaron Mooy, Massimo Luongo and Jackson Irvine, along with the experienced Mark Milligan, Australia’s midfield is blessed with an abundance of depth.

And while Amini and 18-year-old rookie Riley McGree may find it difficult to see game time, Postecoglou has made it clear he’s willing to give youngsters a chance if they’re performing.

“It’s [midfield) an area where we are strong. If you look at the form of Jedinak, Mooy, Luongo, Jackson Irvine, James Jeggo, those kind of guys, you look at their form particularly over the weekend, we’re looking fairly strong in that area,” Postecoglou said.

“Musti coming in and measured against those guys it’ll give us a good indication of where he’s at. “

The Socceroos will begin to assemble in camp on Sunday in Tehran, Iran, and are likely to have two sessions as a squad ahead of Friday’s (AEDT) clash with Iraq at the Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium in the Iranian capital.

The Caltex Socceroos tackle UAE in a crucial World Cup Qualifier in Sydney on March 28.   Click here for tickets.

 

Source : Football Federation Australia