Socceroos midfielder Massimo Luongo in serious contention to start against Denmark
MASSIMO Luongo has earned praise for his football intelligence from the likes of Tottenham academy boss Tim Sherwood and Ange Postecoglou, with the midfielder set to take the baton from his captain Mile Jedinak.
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ON an August day in 2013 Tottenham announced the signing of Danish star Christian Eriksen - the man who poses such a threat to the Socceroos on Thursday - to huge fanfare.
A few hours later, to rather less fanfare, they confirmed the sale of an Australian midfielder to League One side Swindon, for about 3.6% of the fee Eriksen commanded.
Almost five years later Massimo Luongo and Eriksen could play on the same field, with Luongo a serious option for Socceroos boss Bert van Marwijk as he seeks a more attacking formation against the Danes.
Though Luongo missed out against France, he is highly rated by van Marwijk, and was termed the best midfielder in England outside the Premiership by his former manager at Queens Park Rangers, Ian Holloway.
Ange Postecoglou also valued Luongo’s football intelligence, bringing the midfielder into the 2014 World Cup squad aged just 21, and starting him in the first game of the Asian Cup six months later.
“I remember he first came to watch me (playing for Swindon in the third tier of English football), and it was the windiest day, the goalkicks were going back into the corners,” Luongo said.
“I thought, with the way he wants to play, I was no chance. But then he seemed to like something.
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“Though I didn’t actually play at the World Cup, I think he always planned to play me in the first game of the Asian Cup, but I didn’t think it would go on beyond that. We had (Mark) Bresciano and Millsy (Mark Milligan) on the bench.
“But something clicked, and I proved to him I deserved it. Fair play to Ange, he could easily have played Bresc, but he kept the faith.”
The reward was a winners medal and to be named player of the tournament, seven years after he trialled at Tottenham, and was dumbfounded to be offered a two-year deal.
“I remember, ability-wise, (the other players) were on a different level,” he said. “I just couldn’t keep up, so for the trial I played one touch and just worked my nuts off.
“To be fair I just ended up smashing people, but they signed me.”
Though he was highly rated by Tottenham’s then academy boss, Tim Sherwood, the stars in the first team blocked his path and Luongo eventually went to Swindon in search of first team football.
Now utterly established at QPR he is set to be captain this season at 25, and will surely be a long-term fixture for the Socceroos, especially once Jedinak retires.
“I always believed in myself,” Luongo said. “Maybe I was a bit naive (as a child) but I thought the pathway would be easy.
“I thought, I’m going to be a footballer, I’m good at it and I’ll go overseas, sign for a team and make the first team.
“Clearly I found out it’s not like that but I’ve found out I can adapt really well to different situations, different types of football. So far I’ve come out on top and done well.
“I think I’ve always taken on information quite well. Ian Holloway came into QPR and played me in a few positions at first.
“He said to me, Whoever has taught you has done really well, you’ve got a good football brain. I thought, Oh cheers!”
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