Socceroos midfielder Aaron Mooy taking red-hot goal-scoring form into international
He's taken the A-League by storm with his ridiculous goals and dynamic play in the midfield.
But Melbourne City general Aaron Mooy is keeping his feet on the ground and isn't taking his spot in the Socceroos for granted.
The 25-year-old's outstanding performances in the A-League will give Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou a welcome selection headache ahead of Thursday night's World Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan at Canberra Stadium.
Mooy comes into the crucial encounter in stunning form after delivering a long-range strike and setting up another goal in City's 4-2 win over Adelaide United last Thursday night.
The former Western Sydney Wanderers star has taken his attacking exploits to another level having led the goal-scoring charts in the FFA Cup with six goals, including a hat-trick.
Those feats have also translated to the international arena where he was found the back of the net four times in nine appearances for the Socceroos.
Mooy has enjoyed the freedom he has been given at City to push further up the pitch and to take the opportunities when they present themselves.
"I've got a little bit of a different mentality and I'm trying to effect the game more," Mooy said.
"The coaching staff really believe in me, but I've improved a lot since I was younger. I want to do whatever I can to help the team win."
The Socceroos are quickly building an abundance of midfield riches.
Canberra's Tom Rogic is hitting his stride after a long absence with injury, captain Mile Jedinak is a rock in the centre of the park and Massimo Luongo built on his credentials with a star turn at the Asian Cup.
Where that leaves Mooy in the mix remains to be seen.
He was below in his best in the Socceroos' 2-0 away loss to Jordan in October, but he wasn't alone in that assessment.
Former Socceroos captain Ned Zelic said for Mooy to take the next step in his development, he would need to close the gap between his best and worst.
"It's always hard to predict with Mooy because he still has these moments where his game really fluctuates," Zelic said.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of his, always have been, I remember seeing him play for the Young Socceroos and I thought he was excellent. On the day, he could just explode and pretty much blow everyone out of the water."
Mooy's sublime form has led to speculation he could leave the A-League as early as the January transfer window.
Overseas offers are sure to come for his services, but Mooy said his focus was on helping City reach the finals.
"Every player should have aspirations to reach the highest level they can go," Mooy said.
"Hopefully one day I can, but I'm not trying to look too far ahead. I'm happy here at Melbourne City and I'm really enjoying it and I'm not feeling too much pressure."
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