Socceroos: Aaron Mooy’s injury could open the door for Jackson Irvine at Asian Cup
Jackson Irvine could see the devastation all over Aaron Mooy’s face before he’d even made it home on the train.
Jackson Irvine could see the devastation all over Aaron Mooy’s face before he’d even made it home on the train.
His Socceroos teammate had just done himself a knee injury during a Premier League game for Huddersfield against Arsenal at the Emirates, one bad enough to rule Australia’s star player out of the Asian Cup.
Not that he knew it on the evening of December 8 when, by pure chance, he ran into Irvine, who was on the same rail journey back to England’s north after playing a Championship game for Hull City the other side town.
“I actually saw him after the Arsenal game coming back up from London, we were playing Millwall and we were on the same train,” Irvine said.
“I used to room with him over the years as well with the Socceroos and I’d call him a friend.
“He wasn’t fully aware of the extent of it at the time, but obviously extremely disappointed to have picked up anything, as you would be at that stage.
“It was just about trying to find out the extent of it. I texted him a few days later after he was waiting to see his results.
“I’m gutted for the guy, obviously for the team but especially for him, because I knew how much he wanted to be a part of it.”
As cruel fate would have it, Mooy’s loss might be Irvine’s gain.
Graham Arnold has singled out the Melbourne-born 25-year-old as one of the men most likely to step into Mooy’s midfield role for Australia’s Asian Cup defence in the United Arab Emirates.
And he’s well-equipped, having bagged a brace for the resurgent Hull on Boxing Day to cap some fine recent form in a notoriously gruelling second tier.
“It’s good to come into camp in good form with my club and give myself every opportunity to take one of those starting spots,” Irvine said.
“It’s a ruthless league in the sense that it doesn’t give you that opportunity for optimal recovery at times, when you’re playing three or four games in a very short space of time.
“It definitely helps mentally, being able to recover quicker … there’s not many leagues that can say they play as many games as we do.”
Irvine’s versatility might also be his friend in a recalibrated midfield, carrying experience in a variety of positions including a holding role and as advanced as a No.10.
“It’s good for the gaffer to know I can slot into a number of these positions,” he said.
“I personally see myself as a central midfielder by trade, but I have a number of qualities that mean I can play in those varied positions.
“I’ve got an eye for goal as well, that’s how I’ve found myself playing more advanced.”
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