Australian boss Graham Arnold is backing Aaron Mooy to be a success at Celtic and is hopeful that the midfielder will be completely up to speed by the time the World Cup rolls around in November – stating his relief at the move.
The 31-year old will be hoping for more regular first team football after a difficult two years in the Chinese Super League due to the countries tough Covid restrictions.
Even though Mooy hadn’t kicked a ball since February, Arnold still have faith in the midfielder to deliver and picked him to play in Australia’s crunch World Cup play-off matches against the UAE and Peru.
In playing these games for his national side he defied orders from his then club Shanghai Port which led the midfielder to be able to secure a release from his contract.
Before Mooy jets off to Qatar, he will be hoping to test himself at the top level of European football and will also be worked hard by his former national team coach Ange Postecoglou which Arnold is delighted about.
“We all know that Ange will get the best out of Aaron, and get him fit and ready,” said Graham Arnold speaking to The Age.
“It’s just great that he’s going to a club where they’re playing in the Champions League, and he’s going to get plenty of match minutes up there. Obviously they’re a good team, Celtic, and he’ll have his work cut out to get him in the starting XI, of course.
“But the fact that he’s going to be playing a lot of football before the World Cup is a relief for myself and, no doubt, all the Socceroo fans back here in Australia to know that Aaron’s got his club future sorted out.”
Mooy arrives in Glasgow as no stranger to the city having already experience for the Scottish Premiership with St Mirren where he made 21 appearances for the Buddies during a two year stint in Paisley.
His wife is also from the city with his family having been living here during his tenure in China.
“He knows what to expect with Ange and Ange knows his game.
“Instead of a new player walking into a new club with a new coach who doesn’t really know his mindset and his character and qualities that well – it can take time for that new coach to get to know him. But he’s walking in on the other side of it, where the coach is very familiar with him, knows exactly what he’s getting.
“With better fitness, with more match rhythm, and under Ange, I expect that when he walks into Qatar he’ll be the leader that we need on the field.”
It will likely take Mooy a while to get up to speed but we all await his debut for the hoops with keen interest to see where Postecoglou believes he best suits the system.
