When Aaron Mooy was Liel Abada’s age he was plying his trade at St Mirren. When he was as old as Jota or Matt O’Riley are now, he’d returned to Australia in a bid to reignite his career.
That’s why, after watching his young Celtic team-mates on the Champions League stage in midweek, he half-joked about not being as good as them as a youngster. But Ange Postecoglou is having none of that. When Mooy returns to Paisley today, 10 years after leaving the Buddies to sign for Western Sydney Wanderers, he’ll have Premier League, Champions League and World Cup experience behind him. Not bad for someone who says he wasn’t that good at 21.
Postecoglou knew exactly what he was getting when he signed the former Brighton and Huddersfield Town midfielder in the transfer window. He believes Mooy was just as talented as Celtic’s current crop - but just had to go on a different journey to realise his potential.
