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Australia head coach speaks about the importance of Aaron Mooy
Australia head coach Graham Arnold has spoken about the importance of Aaron Mooy ahead of the forthcoming Asian World Cup qualifiers. The 29-year-old midfielder missed the Asian Cup in January due to an injury setback and he only made his comeback during the 3-0 triumph over Kuwait last month.
During that game, Mooy was hugely instrumental as his set-piece contributed towards Matthew Leckie’s second goal before he scored with a sublime shot from outside the box. Speaking to Fox Sports, Arnold said that Mooy is a joy to coach and highlighted the qualities of the former Manchester City ace.
He told: “Aaron's a joy to coach. I said to him before the (Kuwait) game 'Aaron Mooy touches the ball 60 times in the opponent's half, we're creating a lot of opportunities and scoring goals, we'll be controlling the game' because he's such a wonderful player. I love every minute being with him because he's a real funny kid. He's great.”
Mooy made the temporary move to Brighton & Hove Albion from Huddersfield Town before the Premier League transfer deadline but he had a tough beginning as he struggled to get off the bench under Graham Potter. However, his fortunes changed after the international display for the Socceroos last month and he has started the past three league games.
Brighton recently faced Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and they managed to produce their best performance of the campaign as they secured a 3-0 triumph. The Seagulls were in complete control of the proceedings for most parts of the game but they needed some help from goalkeeper Mathew Ryan towards the end where he made a couple of key saves to deny Spurs with a route back into the game.
With the victory, Brighton have moved onto nine points for the season and they have a three-point gap between them and the drop zone. The South Coast outfit are scheduled to face Aston Villa on the road after the international break.