Young Qantas Socceroo star Mustafa Amini could make a shock return when the Central Coast Mariners host Perth in Gosford on Saturday night.
Young Qantas Socceroo star Mustafa Amini could make a shock return when the Central Coast Mariners host Perth in Gosford on Saturday night.
In what would be a huge boost for the winless Mariners, Amini made his long awaited return to the field for the club’s National Youth league team last week.
The attacking midfielder successfully made it through 60 minutes in front of Mariners’ coach Graham Arnold.
With Central Coast struggling to find the cutting edge in front of goals, Amini’s possible return for the match at Bluetongue Stadium could be just what the Mariners need.
While admitting Amini is unlikely to start, Arnold did confirm he was seriously considering including the teenager in the squad for the Perth match.
“I don’t know if he’s ready to start, it’s a bit early for that,” Arnold said.
“But he looked good last week. He’s certainly in the mix for Perth.”
Amini burst on to the scene last season and was one of Arnold’s main weapons as the Mariners went all the way to the grand final.
One of the hottest young talents in the country, Amini represented Australia at the Under-20 World Cup and was looking forward to continuing his development this year.
“After the World Cup we pretty much had to rebuild his body,” Arnold said.
“I always said I was hopeful he’d be ready to go at the end of October.”
Arnold said a win over a team like Perth would be just the confidence booster his team needs after a tough start to the season.
Before the season Arnold predicted Perth would be one of the major contenders.
“They’ve recruited very well, I tipped them to be a darkhorse,” he said.
“We’ll need to be at our best on Saturday night.”
