GOLD COAST, Australia -- Socceroos boss Graham Arnold says one of his biggest conundrums heading into Thursday's World Cup qualifier against Bahrain is whether or not to start Bayern Munich prodigy Nestory Irankunda.
The 18-year-old completed a move from Adelaide United to Bavaria in July and, after impressing new Bayern boss Vincent Kompany in preseason, has remained with the German giants for the start of the new Bundesliga season.
And Arnold can already see the change in demeanour that has come with working with the likes of Harry Kane, Alphonso Davies, and Thomas Müller at the Säbener Straße.
"I had a good chat with him yesterday and he feels [that] training at Bayern every day, he's getting better and better," said Arnold. "He's excited to be here and to be with us, and we're excited to have him because he brings something completely different.
"It's just a question at the moment if I start him or not. Because obviously, he can have a massive impact off the bench when the legs start going out of an opponent. But also, he can be someone who can start and get us a goal early. It's something that we've got to think about.
"Mentally, you can see there's a bit more belief, he feels he belongs, because he's been training with those players [at Bayern], and he sees that he's at the same level. Physically, he's still a kid, he's got a lot of work to do. Tactically, he does what he's told. He's got quite good discipline, which is great. And technically he's good.
"So, the mental aspect is the biggest thing. He's really growing in belief."
However, the Socceroos boss is also aware that the hype that comes with becoming one of the most highly touted prospects produced Down Under in decades can prove something of a double-edged sword, especially when that's accompanied by the expectation of excellence that comes from being a part of Bayern.
Across his long history in the game, Arnold has had a front-row seat to Australian football's long and not all-too-proud history of discarding the next big thing when they fail to live up to external expectations.
"Sometimes [external hype] can affect the player," said Arnold. "I've seen players in the past that everyone was talking about ... drooling about.
"Then, all of a sudden, they can't deal with the pressure, they can't deal with the headlines, and they can't deal with all that stuff.
"But I think Nestory will be fine. I'm excited to coach the kid. I just want what's best for the kid. We [need to] make sure that we get the right people around him, which is important because he's only 18 years of age, and we've got to put him where he fits.
"There's been about 20 [wonderkids] over 20 years; [who have made] wrong moves, all those types of things [and] by the time they're 23, 24 it's over. And that's the last thing we want for the kid.
"The fact that Bayern have kept him [with them] is a very positive sign."
Ahead of what will be the first-ever competitive Socceroos fixture on the Gold Coast, Arnold also confirmed that local product Kye Rowles would start against Bahrain but that right back Lewis Miller was set to miss after aggravating a knee complaint on his flight Down Under.