Arnold sees the window as a great opportunity to offer the 17-year-old vital experience with some of Australia’s most seasoned professionals at the top of their game, even though Irankunda isn’t officially in the squad.
For Manchester City’s under-23 team, Robertson has been in excellent form, and he recently earned a position on the substitutes’ bench for Pep Guardiola’s team in the first leg of their Champions League match against RB Leipzig.
Given that he was eligible for Scotland, Peru, and England and had even played youth level football for the Three Lions, the Maroubra-raised teen’s selection is significant.
Arnold, however, is convinced that Robertson will only play for one country once he dons the Socceroos shirt for the first time and “feels the insignia on his heart.”
Arnold stated, “I’ve probably been speaking with him for more than 18 months, and it was a matter of taking one step at a time.
This time, he immediately said, “Arnie, I can’t wait,” when I contacted him to tell him I wanted to select him for these Ecuador games. He was eagerly anticipating it.
“His agent, Paddy Dominguez, has been excellent in terms of communication, keeping me updated on the kid’s whereabouts and the whereabouts of his father, Mark.
“I think it’s fantastic that the kid is supporting Australia.” There will only be one country he will play for once he dons that Socceroos shirt and feels the crest on his heart.
Given that Robertson has yet to play a single minute for City’s first squad and only has 143 minutes of senior football under his belt from a disastrous loan stint with Ross County in 2021, some may dispute his selection.
Arnold, though, feels confident in his choice because Robertson regularly trains alongside players like Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne and is taught by one of the best coaches in history.
Arnold added, “He’s there for a reason when you’re playing and training with those types of athletes every week.”
And that reason is undoubtedly that Pep Guardiola thinks highly of him and recognizes his abilities.
He gets into the box, is an 8 or 10 midfielder who prefers to attack, scores goals, and also provides assists. He has a nice sense of flair.
Irankunda, who is also a teenager, has risen quickly to fame. The most recent sign of this is that he was invited to the Socceroos camp.
A stronger work rate is one obvious area for growth in Irankunda’s game, according to Reds manager Carl Veart, who has made it apparent the teen sensation has a lot of learning to do.
Arnold concurred when asked if the young player’s call-up was mostly intended to give Irankunda a glimpse of what is needed on the field to succeed in football.
But he stressed that it’s also an opportunity to learn what’s necessary off the field in order to achieve.
Arnold added, “I think he will learn very quickly from that. It’s how Maty, Aaron, and these other guys, who have been professionals for a long time and have achieved these things, describe what it takes day to day to be a professional footballer.
“Yeah, he is now in there as a train-on.”
“There are two games, and the game backups are quite brief.” We compete on Tuesday and Friday.
“There will be a decent opportunity, especially because he’ll be in the squad for the second game,”
FULL SOCCEROOS SQUAD FOR ECUADOR FRIENDLIES
GOALKEEPERS
Mat Ryan
Andrew Redmayne
Joe Gauci
DEFENDERS
Nathaniel Atkinson
Aziz Behich
Jordy Bos
Milos Degenek
Thomas Deng
Harry Souttar
Bailey Wright
Kye Rowles
MIDFIELDERS
Keanu Baccus
Cameron Devlin
Jackson Irvine
Connor Metcalfe
Aaron Mooy
Aiden O’Neill
Alexander Robertson
Riley McGree
FORWARDS
Brandon Borrello
Jason Cummings
Mitchell Duke
Craig Goodwin
Garang Kuol
Awer Mabil
Marco Tilio
Nestory Irankunda (train-on)
đź‘Śđź‘Ś
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