Melbourne Victory boss Kevin Muscat praised Christian Theoharous for his impact off the bench in the 1-1 draw against Brisbane Roar.
Theoharous, 17, came on with 13 minutes remaining at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night and produced a lively cameo.
The winger’s work down the left helped set up Besart Berisha’s opener, which was cancelled out by Brett Holman.
Muscat praised the Young Socceroo for his efforts after his team was held to a fourth consecutive draw, having gone ahead in the 79th minute.
“Chrissy comes on and he was positive,” he said.
“You sensed he was playing without any burden, without any pressure or lack of confidence or all the things you get labelled with.
“Then, to not hold out for 10 minutes, it’s frustrating.”
Analysis: Teenage talent Christian Theoharous an inspiration for @gomvfc and @brisbaneroar – https://t.co/nctqLKm6J1 #MVCvBRI #RemembranceRound #ALeague pic.twitter.com/SfMTKAArCw
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) November 11, 2017
The Roar clash marked Theoharous’ third substitute appearance of the season for Victory.
Muscat said there were still areas for the teenager to improve, but he sees a bright future for the attacker.
“The age is one thing. There are a number of things. You can’t just use age in isolation. Chrissy has got some very good assets that many in the league probably haven’t got,” he said.
“There are still some areas that he needs to work on. He’s maturing as he goes along and he’s got a real big opportunity.
“Ultimately it’s going to be down to him to make the right steps forward and take that opportunity.”
