Huddersfield Town star Aaron Mooy is in the 30-man preliminary Australia squad for their two-legged World Cup qualifying play-off against Honduras.
The 27-year-old midfielder underlined his form with a goal in the 2-1 victory over Manchester United at the John Smith’s Stadium.
He will again be a key figure for David Wagner’s side in Saturday’s Premier League trip to Liverpool, where he will be monitored by the Socceroos and international boss Ange Postecoglou.
Mooy should be a shoo-in for next week’s final 23-man squad, providing he avoids injury, which will play crunch clashes with Honduras in San Pedro Sula (November 10) and Sydney (November 15).
Postecoglou is confident the group ultimately selected will be prepared to propel Australia to their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance.
“There are a couple of weeks before the group gets together, so we will be monitoring the health and fitness of every player to make sure that the final 23 are available for what is going to be a challenging couple of games,” said Postecoglou.
“We feel that we are right on schedule with regards to our arrangements, logistics and intelligence for Honduras, and are comfortable that the work completed and decisions made so far will help us in our quest to qualify for Russia.
“A large, vocal home crowd in Sydney for the second leg is something that everyone involved with the squad is looking forward to.”
