Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Nestory Irankunda insists he is comfortable filling the void left by wounded teammate Mohamed Touré, as he declared the Socceroos possessed a nucleus that would inspire the most dominant decade in the nation’s history.
Having been in dynamic form for Norwich City, scoring in three consecutive English Football League Championship clashes, Touré succumbed to a shoulder injury shortly after nailing a clinical strike against Bolton, with his club coach, Philippe Clement, confirming he would need surgery.
It has put in doubt the 22-year-old striker’s Asian Cup campaign, due to begin on January 7 in Saudi Arabia, and has ruled him out of the forthcoming friendlies against Brazil to take place in Townsville (September 25) and Brisbane (September 29).
Despite many pundits, including Socceroos great Mark Schwarzer, believing Irankunda’s speed was best used on the wing, the 20-year-old spent significant time during this year’s World Cup campaign further up front.
While he scored in the group stage win against Turkiye, he was moved by coach Tony Popovic to the bench in the defeat to the USA, before being used up front against Paraguay (1-1) and Egypt (3-2), with Touré coming off the bench.
But Irankunda, who has arrived back in Australia after his maiden stint with Portugal giants Sporting CP, insisted he was unfazed by where Popovic felt his skill set was best used.
“I’m just wishing him [Touré] all the best with his recovery, but it’s a huge loss for us. He [Popovic] makes the calls at the end of the day, and I’m always ready to play wherever I play,” Irankunda said.
“It doesn’t really matter to me, as long as I’m in the team and trying to help the team win games and succeed.”
The youth Popovic has injected on the international stage has Irankunda confident a golden generation to rival the coach’s famed 2006 World Cup squad beckoned, with 16 of the Socceroos’ 24-man squad for the Brazil contests aged 25 or under.
The fanfare around the 2026 World Cup made Irankunda a household name – a fate he appeared destined for as a teenager when he left Adelaide United for German powerhouse Bayern Munich in 2024.
He believes Australia’s elimination in the first round of the World Cup’s knockout phases was just the start of what this group could achieve, and he was adamant he was a long way off reaching his ceiling. His forthcoming contests against a Brazilian juggernaut spearheaded by Real Madrid superstar Vinícius Júnior will test that theory.
“I believe so,” Irankunda said when asked if the country’s most successful football period dawned.
“I mean, the teams before us were also good teams, but for the next few years, it’s going to be a really young squad – there are a lot of young players here now, and it’s good to see. It shows we’ve got talent and shows we can actually play football.
“There have been some difficult moments, obviously it’s been a short career so far and things have happened so quickly, but there have been some challenges along the way. To get here wasn’t easy.
“I just have to do everything in my abilities to stay here, I can’t stop doing what I’m doing and then people forget about me. I want to be remembered, and I want to stay here for the Socceroos.”
The emerging brigade includes breakout defender Lucas Herrington, who returns home to Brisbane after riding a meteoric ascent from A-League rookie to Premier League contender in less than 10 months. His rapid progress led fellow Socceroos defender Miloš Degenek to laud him as the man who was “going to set the standard in the national team for the next 10 to 12 years”.
Since leaving the Roar on a club-record transfer fee to the Colorado Rapids, Herrington has battled Argentine superstar Lionel Messi in America, become the youngest Socceroo to start in a World Cup game, and is now a star on the rise with Hull City.
The 19-year-old’s duel with Júnior may just be his greatest challenge yet, but Herrington was confident the influence of Popovic – one of Australia’s greatest defenders – would hold him in strong stead.
“Being a centre back, he [Popovic] helps a lot on the field – just with being patient on the ball and waiting for an opportunity. It’s a great squad we’ve got here, a lot of depth, so it’s just about being patient with your opportunity and working hard to be ready to take it,” Herrington said.
“You want to verse the best players, and we know Brazil have got some of those players.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
