There’s a lesson from Crystal Palace that Socceroos coach Tony Popovic thinks of when he’s asked about teen sensation Nestory Irankunda.
The 19-year-old winger is set for a move from Bayern Munich to Championship club Watford as he continues to push his case for a spot in Popovic’s 2026 World Cup squad.
Irankunda hasn’t featured in the Australian national team since October last year, left out of the squad that sealed automatic qualification to the 2026 finals with wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia.
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But with the latest piece of the Socceroos’ World Cup preparations falling into place, Popovic has left the door open for a possible recall for Irankunda.
The Socceroos will play the United States on Oct. 14, having already secured a two-match series against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in September and a clash with another co-host in Canada.
News of Irankunda’s imminent move to Watford comes after he struggled to break through for a Bundesliga debut since arriving in 2024. Frustrated with his lack of game time, Irankunda sealed a loan move to Grasshoppers last season and finished with one goal and three assists over 19 matches in the Swiss Super League.
Popovic just wants Irankunda, who had also been nursing a hamstring injury that ruled him out of action for the Australia Under 20s in June, to continue growing. Previous coaches like Adelaide United’s Carl Veart and Olyroos boss Tony Vidmar have been open about concerns over his perceived maturity. Asked about Irankunda’s attitude, Popovic pointed to something he learnt while working as an assistant at Crystal Palace — where he played 123 games — under Dougie Freedman.
“We had [then] 17-year-old Wilfried Zaha who was the most ill-disciplined, never came on time, wanted to walk out 10 minutes before training, didn’t want to do the pre-activation,” Popovic said on Tuesday.
“And it frustrated me. And Dougie said, ‘You’ve got to see. You’re just a little bit blinded at the moment. You need to see the big picture.’
“‘Let’s understand the kid a bit more; where’s he come from? What’s his home life like? And you might understand a bit more.’
“As soon as Dougie made me go to his apartment and see how the boy was living, it totally changed me.
“Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t, but I would never allow anyone to tell me that it’s because of an attitude or a character that I’m not picking a player.”
Popovic insisted Irankunda, who was born to Burundian parents in a Tanzanian refugee camp, still had a future within the Socceroos squad.
“It’s obviously fresh news for us as well. I don’t know if that’s definitely done yet but if it is, wonderful,” Popovic said. “He got to Bayern Munich because he has talent. It’s undeniable, but what I believe [is] he’s learning. “Talent’s not enough. It’s never been enough, and it never will be enough.
“Hopefully this next move can develop him further, and whether that’s an immediate impact with us or not, it gives him a better chance of course.
“The impression people sometimes have from the outside, which I totally understand, is that if a player doesn’t get called up, that equates to you not liking the player — it’s far from that.”
Popovic, who wore the green-and-gold 58 times as a player, including at Germany 2006, remains unbeaten as Socceroos boss after eight matches in charge.
Taking over from Graham Arnold last September, Popovic has enjoyed five wins and three draws — highlighted by crucial victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia. The Socceroos’ clash against the United States will be the first between the two since Australia, who recently moved up two places to 24th in the world rankings, were beaten 3-1 in the final warm-up match before their 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa.
The US are currently ranked 15th in world and earlier this month were beaten 2-1 by Mexico, the third of next year’s co-hosts, in the Concacaf Gold Cup final.
