Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Aaron Mooy’s performance for Australia against Peru was one of the reasons he was signed in the summer.
The 32-year-old arrived at Parkhead in July as part of Postecoglou’s recruitment drive as he prepared for the season ahead.
Some were surprised to see the free agent sign a two-year deal with the Hoops, following on from his spell spent in China between 2020-2022.
However, there is no doubting that Mooy would bring more experience to the club, following his time spent in the English Premier League and as part of the Australian national side.
One man who knows the midfielder extremely well from his time performing for the Socceroos is Ange Postecoglou, who in charge of his nation for around five years.
So, with those links, it was a move that started to make more sense, and from his opening appearances in the Hoops, you can see that Mooy brings a real calmness to the centre of the pitch.
Although we don’t know how long the Celtic boss might have been considering the former Brighton and Huddersfield man as an option, it seems that one game in particular made his mind up about making a move.
Speaking in a recent interview, Postecoglou revealed that Mooy’s performance against Peru in Australia’s World Cup qualifying play-off match was a contributing factor to his arrival.
Despite not playing club football for around six months, the midfielder was able to produce a top performance for the entire game, which went to extra-time and penalties.
To top things off, Mooy was even one of the scorers from the shootout, helping his country secure a place at the tournament in Qatar later this year.
Whilst promoting the Sydney Super Cup, in an interview, Ange said [10 Football]: “With Aaron, I signed him pretty much on the back of him being the best player in the ground against Peru (during Australia’s World Cup play-off).
“He hadn’t played for ages before that. I’ve always known he’s a great player, I’ve worked with him. I just felt he still has plenty in him, and since he’s been with us, he has built his fitness up, and he’s going really well.
“I think he’s one who can make an impact (for Australia at the World Cup).”
Aaron Mooy will be hoping to make Celtic impact ahead of 2022 World Cup
Whilst the midfielder might have been disappointed with his contributions in the 2-0 loss against St Mirren, I am sure he will still be hopeful of making an impact in the coming months.
Ange Postecoglou has often turned to Mooy off the bench this season to freshen things up in the middle of the park, with the ex-EPL man bringing plenty of composure.
With the Qatar 2022 World Cup coming up in November, Mooy’s place in the Australian side is understood to be all but guaranteed.
However, you would imagine he will still want to keep himself fit and raring to go ahead of the tournament by contributing in some crucial Celtic fixtures across the next few weeks.
Fellow summer signing, Oliver Abildgaard, is expected to be up to speed following the conclusion of this month’s international break. So, that should keep Mooy on his toes, with plenty of competition for places in the Celtic side.
In other news, Celtic squad prepare to return to Lennoxtown ahead of exciting autumn run
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