Australia has left teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda out of its under-23 squad for the Olympic qualifying tournament in the interests of his long-term future in the international game, coach Tony Vidmar said on Thursday.
The pacey forward, who was born in a Tanzanian refugee camp to Burundian parents before moving to Australia as an infant, is set to join Bayern Munich in July.
Irankunda has made a habit of scoring spectacular goals for his A-League club Adelaide United and last week became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Australian top flight.
“I think he’s on a rollercoaster 24-7 (and) we have to look at the bigger picture,” Vidmar told reporters after naming his squad for the under-23 AFC Asian Cup, which starts in Qatar later this month.
“He’s going to be the future of the national teams, that’s for sure. We just have to be mindful of what we do with him in the national team space. At the moment, we don’t want to damage him.
“He’s just turned 18, and it’s a big ask for him to come in and all these expectations from people outside – because I asked him about the expectation, and it’s been challenging for him.
“To throw that on a young kid, it can do more damage.”
The top three teams at the under-23 Asian Cup will earn spots at the Olympic tournament in Paris in July and August, while the fourth-placed team will go into a playoff against Guinea for another berth.
Vidmar did not rule out taking Irankunda to France if Australia got through.
“He’s always been in (Olympic) consideration. He’s always been on our list of players,” he said.
“He is one where, after the Olympic qualifiers, and when we do qualify for the Olympics, it’ll be about having that discussion again.”
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