Socceroos star Aaron Mooy has Covid-19 and will miss Australia’s games against Japan and Saudi Arabia

The Socceroos have been dealt a blow ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Aaron Mooy battles with Oman’s Omer Talib Al Fazari. Picture: Mohamed Farag/Getty Images

The Socceroos have lost Aaron Mooy for this month’s crucial World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia, with the star playmaker having tested positive for Covid-19.

Mooy, who plies his trade for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port, is currently in isolation in Scotland, where his family is based.

With the new CSL season not kicking off until April 22, Mooy is also suffering from a lack of recent football.

The 31-year-old former Melbourne City and Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder has not played a competitive match since Australia’s 2-2 draw with Oman on February 2 (AEDT).

With his lack of match conditioning having already been playing on his mind, Mooy’s Covid-19 misfortune proved to be the final straw in his unavailability for the Socceroos’ matches against Japan (March 24 in Sydney) and Saudi Arabia (March 30 in Jeddah).

The Socceroos are in third spot in Group B of the AFC’s third round of World Cup qualifiers.

The Australians are three points adrift of second-placed Japan, with first-placed Saudi Arabia a further point ahead.

A top-two Group B finish will earn the Socceroos automatic qualification to this year’s World Cup in Qatar.

With the Australians having already secured a top-three spot, they have at the very least earned a berth in playoffs to determine the remaining World Cup qualifiers once the group stage is completed.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold will on Thursday name an extended squad for this month’s two games.

Aaron Mooy will miss Australia’s games against Japan and Saudi Arabia. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

It’s a squad that will include Perth Glory’s 34-year-old Uruguayan striker, Bruno Fornaroli.

Glory coach Richard Garcia on Tuesday night revealed the Socceroos’ selection of Australian citizen Fornaroli, who has played in the A-League since 2015.

Fornaroli represented Uruguay as a 17-year-old, but having not played for his country of berth at senior level, he can don the colours of another nation, provided he has been in that country for five years.

“I found out (about his Socceroos selection), so I mentioned it to him,” Garcia said.

“The first thing he did was smile and say, ‘I’m an Aussie now.’

“It was a nice moment seeing him so proud to be an Australian.”

Fornaroli’s selection will bolster the Socceroos’ attacking stocks, which will be hit by the unavailability of Melbourne City ace Jamie Maclaren for the trip to Saudi Arabia.

Maclaren will remain at home for his wedding, which has previously been postponed due to Covid-19 complications.

Arnold told SEN’s The Global Game he has named an extended squad for a “couple of reasons”.

“We’ve got six players on yellow cards, so if any of them get a yellow card against Japan, then they can’t travel to Saudi Arabia,” the Socceroos coach said.

“(And) obviously with Covid still around, we need to make sure that we’ve got cover in case of that.

“With a playoff spot for June already locked in, if required, we view this camp as a win-win window. We have the opportunity to qualify directly with great performances in Sydney and Jeddah, but regardless, the time together will be beneficial as our players only get limited periods together in national team colours.”

Originally published as Socceroos star Aaron Mooy has Covid-19 and will miss Australia’s games against Japan and Saudi Arabia