Sydney FC captain Luke Brattan is predicting defender Jake Girdwood-Reich will be the next rising A-League Men talent to make the move overseas.
The 19-year-old has excelled in what is shaping as a career-defining 2023/24 campaign for the Sky Blues.
Naturally a defensive midfielder, Girdwood-Reich has taken his game to new heights by filling the Jack Rodwell-sized void in the centre of Sydney's defence.
The teenager has played all but one ALM game for Sydney this season and Brattan is adamant his performances will start to attract attention from overseas.
"He's a fantastic player and he's been with us for the last few years and hadn't got a chance," Brattan told AAP.
"He's had a great year and I can't see him being in Australia for much longer, I think he'll go overseas.
"He's good on the ball, he's calm and for someone of his age, he's one of the best one-on-one defenders I've come across for a long time.
"He's playing very well for us at the moment and he's still got a lot to learn but with 'Big H' (19-year-old Hayden Matthews) next to him, they've both been great the last couple of weeks.
"It's great for the club to produce these young players and see them getting rewards and he's been fantastic, I'd never tell him that … but I hope he's not here much longer and I think he can have a great career overseas."
Sydney have made a habit of shipping their best talents overseas in recent seasons, commanding transfer fees for midfielder Patrick Yazbek and left back Joel King, who has since returned to the club.
The Sky Blues have made a conscious strategic shift over the last 18 months to focus on their homegrown products and boasts the second-youngest squad in the competition with an average age under 24.
At 33, Brattan is one of the club's elder statesmen but is finding a new lease of life under Ufuk Talay.
Sydney face Melbourne City on Saturday at Allianz Stadium where they will be hoping to make it six games unbeaten and strengthen their place in the top six.
"We're in good form and at this time of year this is where you need to start stringing wins together and picking up points," Brattan said.
"I feel very fit and I've played pretty much every minute of every game but I feel great and it's impossible not to feel fit the way we train and play."
