- Socceroos take on Bahrain in World Cup qualifier
- Nestory Irankunda could be a starting player or an impact player
- Kick-off is Thursday at 8pm, live on channel 10
How best to deploy the immensely talented Nestory Irankunda against Bahrain in the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier on Thursday night remains a pleasant headache for coach Graham Arnold.
The former A-League prodigy arrived at the Gold Coast training camp this week ready to shine for the national team after an encouraging start to life at German giants Bayern Munich.
Arnold will certainly field Irancunda at Robina Stadium and is confident the former Adelaide United winger will have an impact on the match, which kicks off at 8pm.
“It’s still a question whether I’ll start him or not, because he can obviously have a huge impact as a substitute, maybe when the opposition is struggling. But he’s also someone who can start and give us an early goal,” he said on Wednesday.
“It’s something we need to think about and resolve.”
Arnold is impressed by what he saw this week in the camp in Irankunda.
“He feels that he is getting better and better through the daily training at Bayern. He is clearly excited to be here and to be with us. We are happy that he is here because he brings something completely different,” he said of the 18-year-old forward.
“He looks really good. Mentally you can see that there is a bit more belief. He really feels like he belongs because he has trained with those (world class) players and he sees that he is on the same level.
How to best utilise young talent Nestory Irankunda against Bahrain in Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier for the Socceroos remains a pleasant headache for coach Graham Arnold
The former A-League prodigy arrived at the Gold Coast training camp this week ready to shine for the national team
The 18-year-old has impressed after signing for German giants Bayern Munich (pictured)
‘Physically he is of course still a child, he still has a lot of work to do.
‘Tactically he does what he’s told, and he’s got a lot of discipline, which is great, and technically he’s good, so the mental aspect is the most important thing. He’s really growing in that.’
Arnold was confident that Irankunda would be able to handle the hype and not become another young Australian talent who could not cope with the ‘pressure’ of a move abroad.
“Sometimes it can have an effect on the player. I’ve seen players in the past that everyone was talking about and drooling over, but then all of a sudden they can’t handle the pressure and they can’t handle the headlines,” he said.
“I’m excited to coach (Irankunda). I just want the best for the boy and we’ll make sure we get the right people around him, which is important because he’s only 18 years old.”
Other selection decisions Arnold has to make concern the centre of defence, with the likes of Alessandro Circati, Harry Souttar, Cameron Burgess and Kye Rowles battling for two spots.
Gold Coast-raised Rowles, who Arnold said would start, is also an option to play at left back.
Arnold said automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup by finishing in the top two of their AFC third round group (which includes Japan and Saudi Arabia) was the Socceroos’ logical goal.
“I would love that… but you have to remember we have qualified for three of the last five (World Cups) through the play-offs,” he said.
“What’s important is that we qualify. Expectations are always high…but there’s always that chance that it’s a play-off.”