John Aloisi believes Noah Botic “will be knocking on the door for the Socceroos in the near” but is wary of putting too much pressure on the Western United striker as he praised the impact of young gun Dylan Leonard in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Botic was named the Unite Round’s Boost Rising Star after providing a pair of assists in Western’s 3-1 win over Perth Glory in Sydney last week – the club’s first win of the season.
The 22-year-old is one of the league’s most exciting talents, having returned to Australia in 2021 via Western following a stint with German club Hoffenheim after catching the attention of Manchester United amid mounting interest from fellow powerhouse Bayern Munich.
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Since arriving at Western, the Australia youth international has scored 11 A-Leagues goals and 12 across all competitions and he is now back fit after suffering a navicular stress fracture last season.
“He is improving all the time and that’s credit to him because he is one that works on his game,” Aloisi told reporters ahead of Sunday’s showdown with rivals Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.
“It was a hard injury because it’s a stress one in your foot. You’re not allowed to do too much work but he was making sure he was doing everything right, and he was looking after his body.
“The gym work has helped as well. He is more powerful and he will get even more powerful. He is able to run in behind and able to bring others into play, and he’s not just about his goals. It’s about his all round game.
“Lets hope that he gets on the scoresheet soon because I’m sure he will score a lot of goals for us.”
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Botic has attracted attention throughout his young career, especially after helping the Subway Joeys reach the Round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Brazil.
He scored four of Australia’s five goals in the group stage, while Botic has been saddled by some as the heir apparent to arguably Australia’s greatest ever player, Mark Viduka.
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“With Noah, he is a natural number nine and we don’t have too many of them,” said Socceroos legend Aloisi.
“I don’t want to put a ceiling on where Noah can end up and whether he will be a Socceroo one day, I believe he will.
“But I don’t want to put too much pressure on him yet because he still needs to play games. He is a little bit more mature now and has more experience but he still hasn’t played a lot of football. We want to get football into his legs. Once we do that and he has that, I’m sure he will go to another level.
“I’m sure he will be knocking on the door for the Socceroos in the near future but at this present time, he just needs to focus on what he’s doing here.”
Dylan Leonard is another talented youngster in Tarneit but Western will be without the 17-year-old against the 2023-24 Grand Finalists through suspension.
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Leonard – already the club’s youngest Isuzu UTE A-League debutant – became Western’s youngest ever goalscorer before being sent off late in the win over the Glory.
It has been a rapid rise for the history-making teenager.
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“What’s pleased me about Dylan – he still has a lot to learn, he is only 17 and we’re working on that with him and he’s willing to learn, but his composure when going through certain challenging times already,” Aloisi said.
“His red card, goal, own goal, but he’s never changed the way he is. He still wants the ball and never shies away from anything.”
When asked if he has been surprised at how quickly Leonard has adapted to the Isuzu UTE A-League, Aloisi replied: “A little bit I’ll be honest because you just don’t know how they will adapt to the pressures of playing for points in front of crowds and playing against senior pros.
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“He played against Adam Taggart who’s been around for a long period. In other games he’s played against different players who’ve played at certain levels.
“Little bit surprised he’s taken it in his stride so easily and quickly, and he knows there’s still a lot to learn and keep on improving. But I’m happy with the way he’s not got too nervous about the situation the team is in and what he’s up against.”
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With Ross Aloisi and Ierardo and his assistants, Muscat guided Chinese giants Shanghai Port to an unprecedented league and cup double last week.
After winning back-to-back Chinese Super League titles for the first time in their history, Shanghai Port then won their maiden FA Cup crown.
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“Proud of him, proud of Musky and also Vince. It’s great to see Aussies doing well overseas,” John Aloisi said of former Brisbane Roar boss Ross and the Australian contingent in Shanghai.
“I know my brother is a really good coach and deserves the success. I know, maybe, he’ll go on to be a head coach again one day if he decides to leave Kevin.
“I’m happy they’re doing well because it’s good for Australian coaches too because we know how good our league is in terms of coaching and they’re showing it over there that they can match it with anyone.
“It’s great for them and great for Australian football.”
