Asian Cup 2015: Kuwait star Aziz Mashaan hoping to attract A-League interest

KUWAIT playmaker Aziz Mashaan is hoping to attract the attention of A-League clubs with his performances during the Asian Cup.

AZIZ Mashaan will be one to look out for when the Socceroos take on Kuwait in Friday night’s Asian Cup opener in Melbourne.

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And Kuwait’s exciting playmaker, one of the stars of his team, will be hoping to attract the attention of A-League clubs as he looks to make a move.

The 26-year-old has been playing for Al Qadsia in Kuwait, but is now a free agent and would welcome any offers from Australian clubs.

He has watched from afar as some of the biggest names in world football, including Alessandro Del Piero, have made their mark on the A-League and improved the standard.

“I would love to move, this is my target - besides the tournament,” Mashaan said.

“Everyone wants to play in a better league.

“So many players have come, recently Fahid Ben Khalfallah playing for Melbourne Victory. I used to see him when he was playing in France, so I think it has a taken a big step. The football here is improving well and it’s growing.

“You can see the last Asian Champions League, Western Sydney won it and three or four years ago Adelaide United did well, so that shows.”

Mashaan will be wary of Matthew Leckie’s pace, but says the Socceroos have several players Kuwait will have to watch out for.

The success of players like Fahid Ben Khalfallah has inspired Aziz Mashaan.

Despite Australia going winless at the World Cup, their fighting performances against the world’s best didn’t go unnoticed.

“They have many players, like (Mile) Jedinak, Tim Cahill and (Mark) Bresciano as well,

so I think they have a very good team,” he said.

“I cannot just say one player is good and the rest are okay, all of them, they have a good team and you can see what they have done in the World Cup.

“They played very good matches against Spain and Holland.”

Mashaan believes, as hosts, the Socceroos will be under more pressure.

“The pressure is on both of us, but I think it will be more on them because all the fans want them to win and they want to try and make them happy as fast as possible,” he said.

“But it’s definitely not going to be easy for them.”

Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: Kuwait star Aziz Mashaan hoping to attract A-League interest