Australia’s brightest young talents are on the move and it bodes well for the Socceroos

From Socceroos to soccer-moves, the World Cup has launched Australia’s top footballers into the transfer vortex, highlighted by this week’s signing of Lucas Herrington and expected signing of Nestory Irankunda at top-flight European clubs.

At just 18, Herrington has completed a blockbuster $33m move to Premier League returnees Hull City from Colorado Rapids in a deal that eclipsed the transfer record for an Australian, previously held by Harry Souttar who moved to Leicester City for $26.3m in 2023. “The opportunity to play in the Premier League, one of the best leagues in the world, is a dream come true,” Herrington said.

Meanwhile, Irankunda landed in Lisbon on Tuesday to complete formalities of his transfer to Sporting from Watford, reportedly worth around $25m plus add-ons. He was met at the airport by a gaggle of local media, who asked him whether he plans to do a Michael Jackson-inspired goal celebration. “Of course,” the 20-year-old grinned.

Comedy aside, they are important moves for Australia’s brightest young talents, both for their long-term development and the next major test for the Socceroos: the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January.

Herrington looks set to be thrown into the deep end helping a club fighting for Premier League survival, while Irankunda can look forward to Champions League nights wearing green and white.

“It’s a very good move for him,” said his Socceroos teammate and mentor Awer Mabil. “It’s a perfect club also for him to take that next step, and then from there on he will make a bigger step for sure.”

Irankunda scored for Australia against Turkey as a starting winger, then impressed in a substitute role in the defeat to the USA. He was then asked to play central striker as the Socceroos were eliminated at the World Cup in the round of 32. It followed a promising if inconsistent year at Watford in the Championship, after brief stints in Germany and Switzerland.

“Nes [Irankunda] is growing a lot,” Mabil said. “You can see his growth over the last couple of years and you saw it at the World Cup also. We just have to continue to be there for him and guide him, and I’m sure he’s going to do great there.”

Irankunda and Herrington are not the only players on the move. Six of the Socceroos’ 26-player World Cup squad have already signed for new clubs, while more like goalkeeper Paul Izzo and Harry Souttar are subject to transfer speculation.

Mabil, 30, chose to return to Australia after a decade in Europe, trading Castellón in Spain for Melbourne City in the A-Leagues. “It’s a perfect time to come back,” the 2023 Young Australian of the Year said. “Firstly, when I went over to Europe, I had dreams that I wanted to achieve, and with hard work, I’ve been able to do that. I thought about the future and what can I do also for the game in Australia, and I think I’m a perfect age to also be able to make an impact.”

He joins a City squad that might have lost Patrick Beach to Troyes in Ligue 1, but still boasts Socceroos teammates Matt Leckie and Aziz Behich. The duo were influential in selling Mabil – a proud South Australian – on the Melbourne club. “I have a great relationship with them and I also wanted to come home to leave a legacy and do my very best while I still got my powers,” he said. “I’ve said it before: Australia is the best country, so I think for us also, we have to grow our league and if anybody can play their role, they have to do that. I feel at this stage in my career, I can help.”

Mabil is adamant he is not tempering his ambition for the Socceroos after a World Cup that he said left him with mixed emotions. “We should all be proud as a country because we did something great, but you know, as a competitor, sometimes you just get caught up and I feel like against Egypt [the last-32 defeat], it was penalties, but … I think we could have won that game.”

There has been scrutiny of the decisions by coach Tony Popovic in that match, including bringing on Maty Ryan for Beach for the shootout. The coach has a contract with the Socceroos until the end of the Asian Cup.

Mabil, who was brought on for extra-time against Egypt and scored a penalty in the shootout, said Popovic has done an “amazing” job and would like to see him continue. “He’s brought the group together and we have such a great foundation in the group, and that’s credit to him,” he said. “As a country also, we have to all stand together always, no matter what, because the World Cup was great and now we are expecting [more], which is a great thing, to go to further rounds.”

Reporting from The Guardian contributed to this story.