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A-League star Al Hassan Toure says Macarthur is enjoying the freedom mentor Dwight Yorke has afforded the young side for their first home game of the season against Adelaide United on Sunday.
The exciting 22-year-old striker is beginning to gain confidence and he said it’s because of the former Manchester United’s mantra: be free.
Yorke was known for his flamboyant style, scoring 148 goals in 481 senior appearances – and he has clearly passed on his attacking philosophy to his Macarthur charges.
Macarthur attack Al Hassan Touré gears up for clash against his old teammates on Sunday
Former Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke is in his first season at the helm of Macarthur FC
Toure, who takes on his former Adelaide teammates on Sunday, will do so with Yorke’s mantra in his ears.
“He’s always told me to express myself,” he told AAP ahead of Sunday’s game, which takes place at Campbelltown Stadium.
“He’s given me the confidence, he’s always told me to believe in myself and every time I go out to show people what I’m into. And that’s what he brought to the team.
“Being an attacker himself, he has told all attackers to be free and do what they want.
‘Of course you have to help with the team, you have to do the teamwork. But if you get the ball in the last third, you’re doing what you do best,” Toure said.
Both Bulls and Toure’s old club, Adelaide United, posted draws in their season openers, with the latter somehow unable to take advantage of Wellington with just 10 men and the Reds with 63 percent of the ball in the game. .
Macarthur, on the other hand, was stern in a nil draw with the Roar, and will want to make sure they can finish clinically after missing some easy chances.
Al Hassan Toure said he and his Macarthur team-mates are doing well under Yorke and enjoying the attacking freedom
Touré departed Adelaide at the end of the 2020-21 season and scored first against them in January last year – but this time he’s not thinking about his old teammates in red.
“I go into every game thinking I’m going to score or play well or assist and do something,” he said.
“I don’t really care about the other team. It’s really about me and my team.
“Even though I’ve left Adelaide, I’m still friends with most of the players there, so it was a bit of banter between us, but no grudges. It’s just a game, at the end,” said Touré.
Toure scored in the Bulls’ Australia Cup triumph, cementing his belief of a more fruitful second season in south-west Sydney, having started just seven of his 22 appearances in the past season.
With Nazi gestures, throws and disgusting racist taunts aimed at Macarthur players, including Toure, from a horrendous subset of Sydney United fans, it was an emotional goal from the spot.
But at the moment Toure is only looking forward.
He moved from the Reds to the Bulls in September 2021, looking for first-team opportunities but found them hard to find.
Now with improved fitness, no niggles and a massive boost in confidence under Yorke, Toure is on a blast and ready to take the competition by storm and lead his side to better results after last season’s mid-table finish.
Al Hassan Toure gestures to the crowd after recently scoring an emotional goal for Macarthur in the Australian Cup
“Last year it was difficult to get my body to work because of my injuries, but this year the physio and coaching staff did a great job getting me back to full fitness,” he said.
“I love life right now, just playing well, helping the team as much as possible.”
“Every individual has goals he wants to achieve for his club,” he said. The club wants to move in a better direction as we didn’t finish where we wanted last year.
“We have already started the season well with the cup, so the players are confident that our team will do better,” said Toure.
Macarthur’s home game against Adelaide kicks off this Sunday at 3 p.m. (AEST) in Campbelltown, south-west Sydney.