Aussie youngster Nestory Irankunda has been included in Bayern Munich’s latest Champions League squad as the teenager eyes off a potential blockbuster debut.
Vincent Kompany’s side are currently hampered by a number of injuries, opening the door for Irankunda, 18, to be named in their matchday squad to take on Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday morning AEDT.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer won’t play for the German giants again until next year, with other big names sidelined including Harry Kane, Alphonso Davies and Serge Gnabry.
‘The issue of injuries is that clearly we have a lot of people absent, but we held on well until now,’ Kompany.
‘From early January, we will have a big squad again. We [have] handled it well so far.’
Irankunda impressed in pre-season after arriving from Adelaide United – but has since only played for the club’s youth team, where he has scored four goals in 15 appearances in the German fourth division.
Aussie youngster Nestory Irankunda has been included in Bayern Munich’s latest Champions League squad as the teenager eyes off a potential blockbuster debut
It comes after Irankunda was overlooked for the Socceroos’ recent World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
He was previously included in Bayern Munich’s first-team squad for a DFB Pokal match against SSV Ulm – but warmed the bench for 90 minutes.
It also comes after Irankunda was overlooked for the Socceroos’ recent World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Coach Tony Popovic insisted it wasn’t performance based – it was instead to allow him to settle in Germany.
‘We know he’s a young man with a lot of potential who finds himself at one of the biggest clubs in the world,’ Popovic said.
‘We just feel it’s an opportunity for him to settle in at Bayern, get the development that he needs there and the growth and just settle into a new culture, new country, new language.
‘Hopefully this will help him grow and settle, and we still hope that we really see his potential moving forward from him in the national team in years to come.’
The Socceroos’ next World Cup qualifier is against Indonesia in Sydney on March 20.
Popovic’s men sit second on seven points in what is a chaotic Group C, nine points behind leaders Japan and a point ahead of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China.
They last played at the Sydney Football Stadium in 2017.
Australia will face China after Indonesia, then Japan and Saudi Arabia in June.