Adelaide United coach Carl Veart tips Nestory Irankunda to have a big A-League season

With Craig Goodwin gone, there is extra responsibility on teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda to fire for Adelaide United this season.

Nestory Irankunda (right) has been tipped to shine for Adelaide United this season. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

Adelaide United coach Carl Veart has warned rivals to expect an even more potent Nestory Irankunda in what’s likely to be the teenage sensation’s final season in the A-League before moving to Europe.

Irankunda, 17, has been an A-League revelation – mainly off the bench – since making his Reds senior debut in January last season.

His exciting attacking play has caught the eye of Bayern Munich, with Irankunda expected to head to the German giants at the end of the season.

However, before Irankunda makes his expected departure from Adelaide, Veart believes his young forward will have another A-League campaign to remember.

“Nestor has worked extremely hard in the pre-season,” Veart said ahead of the Reds’ season-opening clash against defending champions Central Coast Mariners at Coopers Stadium on Friday night.

“With that time he has developed more physically and you’ll see that this year. He will be a lot more dangerous this year than what he was last year.

“He’s definitely in the mix to start (against the Mariners). It's a question whether we go that way or we ease him back in and play him off the bench.”

Reds coach Carl Veart expects Nestory Irankunda to have a major impact this season. Picture: Masanori Udagawa/Getty Images

Irankunda is set to be given more attacking responsibility now that Socceroos star Craig Goodwin has left the Reds for Saudi Arabian club Al-Wehda.

“We were very reliant on playing through Craig last year, and from pre-season we started trying to find other solutions for that, and just as well, because Craig moved on,” Veart said.

“We’re excited with the way we’re going to play this season.”

The Mariners’ had the Reds’ measure in the closing stages of last season, beating Adelaide three times in the space of four weeks, including twice at Coopers Stadium, to send Veart’s men packing.

“It was disappointing the way we lost to them last year, but that was last season, Hopefully we’ve learnt from that,” Veart said.

“They’ve made changes to their playing staff and coaching staff, so we’re a little bit unsure whether there’s going to be a change to their playing style, but they were a great side last year and we expect it to be a very difficult game again (on Friday) night against them.”

The Mariners have a new coach, Englishman Mark Jackson, following title-winning mentor Nick Montgomery’s move to Scottish club Hibernian.

Five members of the Mariners team that started in their 6-1 win final over Melbourne City – Jason Cummings, Sammy Silvera, Beni Nkololo, James McGarry and Nectarios Triantis – have also left the Gosford-based club.