Why Socceroos boss Graham Arnold remains unsure how to best utilise young gun Nestory Irankunda ahead of World Cup qualifier against Bahrain

How to best utilise the immensely talented Nestory Irankunda against Bahrain on Thursday night in the Socceroos‘ World Cup qualifier remains a pleasant headache for coach Graham Arnold.

The former A-League prodigy arrived in camp this week on the Gold Coast ready to shine for the national team after making an encouraging start to life at German giants Bayern Munich.

Arnold is certain to use Irankunda at Robina Stadium and is adamant the ex-Adelaide United winger will have an influence on the contest, which kicks-off at 8pm.

‘It’s just a question at the moment if I’ll start him or not because obviously he can have a massive impact off the bench, maybe when the legs start going out of the opponent, but he’s also someone that can start and get us a goal early,’ he said on Wednesday.

‘It’s something that we’ve got to think about and get sorted.’

Arnold has been impressed by what he’s seen from Irankunda in camp this week.

‘He feels from training at Bayern every day he’s getting better and better, and he’s obviously excited to be here and to be with us, and we’re excited to have him because he brings something completely different,’ he said of the 18-year-old attacking weapon.

‘He looks really good. Mentally, you can see there’s a bit more belief. He actually feels he belongs because he’s been training with those (world-class) players, and he sees that he’s at the same level.

The former A-League prodigy has arrived in camp this week on the Gold Coast ready to shine for the national team

The 18-year-old has impressed after signing for German giants Bayern Munich (pictured)

‘Physically, obviously he’s still a kid, he’s got a lot of work to do.

‘Tactically, he does what he’s told, and he’s got quite good discipline, which is great, and technically he’s good, so the mental aspect is the biggest thing. He’s really growing in that.’

Arnold was confident Irankunda could cope with the hype and not become another young Australian talent unable to ‘deal with the pressure’ of an overseas move.

‘Sometimes it can have an affect on the player because I’ve seen players in the past that everyone was talking about, drooling about, and then all of a sudden they can’t deal with the pressure and they can’t deal with headlines,’ he said.

‘I’m excited to coach (Irankunda). I just want what’s best for the kid, and we’ll make sure that we get the right people around him, which is important, because he’s only 18 years of age.’

Other selection decisions Arnold needs to make include in the centre of defence, where the likes of Alessandro Circati, Harry Souttar, Cameron Burgess and Kye Rowles are vying for two spots.

Gold Coast-raised Rowles – who Arnold confirmed would start – is also an option to play at left-back.

Arnold said gaining automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup by finishing in the top two of their AFC third-round group – that includes Japan and Saudi Arabia – was the Socceroos’ obvious goal.

‘That’s what I’d love … but you’ve got to remember we have qualified for three of the last five (World Cups) through playoffs,’ he said.

‘What’s important is we qualify. Expectations are always high….but there is always that chance that it could be a playoff.’