Newcastle United-bound attacker Garang Kuol has been selected for Australia’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup despite not making a single professional start in his young career.
As per the Guardian, the 18-year-old Central Coast Mariners wonderkid will travel to Qatar this November to represent the Socceroos in a decision that has caught many by surprise, with star centre-back Trent Sainsbury and Australia regular Adam Taggart both cut from the 26-man squad.
When asked about Kuol’s inclusion, Australia coach Graham Arnold said: “He is really a player that has absolutely zero fear who just goes out and wants to entertain. He did that against New Zealand and he’s shown from the start of the A-League this season that he’s a player that can change a game.”
Australia booked their ticket to the World Cup via the play-offs as the Oceania giants beat Peru in a thrilling penalty shoot-out, with the Socceroos hopeful of getting out of a group that consists of Tunisia, Denmark and current world champions France.
Indeed, Kuol’s inclusion might be a surprise, but it is a testament to the teenager’s abilities that the youngster is being selected over more established players in the Australia set-up, something that will no doubt delight those at Newcastle and Toon supporters ahead of the World Cup.
The Magpies only announced the signing of Kuol just a little over four weeks ago, with the attacker set to join up with the Newcastle squad after the World Cup in January, where the youngster could be moving to his new club a hero for Australia.
Garang Kuol’s Australia call-up is as brilliant as it is mental
Garang Kuol’s selection for Australia might invoke memories from England supporters of the 2006 World Cup where Sven Gorn Eriksen brought a baby-faced and inexperienced Theo Walcott to Germany rather than the in-form Darren Bent. Which is what makes this decision brilliant as it is pure craziness.
After all, Kuol is still an extremely inexperienced player who could be thrown into the deepest of deep ends in football if he is to feature against Tunisia and Denmark with Australia chasing the games, and the pressure will be on for the youngster this November ahead of his move to Newcastle.
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