Irankunda declines approach to join Olyroos for Paris 2024 qualifiers

Bayern Munich-bound wonderkid Nestory Irankunda has turned down an 11th-hour approach to play in Australia’s Olympic qualifiers in Paris,Multiple sources close to the Adelaide United teenager, who declined to speak publicly due to the sensitivity of the situation, say Irankunda has been informally sounded out in the last 24 hours over whether he would be prepared to join the Olyroos squad as a replacement for injured winger Marco Tilio.

Irankunda decided, according to the sources, that he was better off staying put and playing in at least four more fixtures for Adelaide – including Friday night’s clash with Macarthur FC, which will probably be his last appearance at Coopers StadiumThe outcome is a boost for the A-League and Adelaide,will see out the balance of the season as the Reds push for an unlikely finals berth. It also allows Irankunda the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to his hometown team.

It is also a major on-field blow for the Olyroos and their hopes of reaching Paris, since they will now miss Tilio and have to look beyond the teenager’s rare gifts for a replacement.Tilio, who is back at Melbourne City this season on loan from Celtic, posted on Instagram on Monday that he was “gutted” to miss out on the under-23 Asian Cup after hurting his quad during the week.

Irankunda’s performance against Perth Glory – his first since becoming the youngest player in A-League history to score a hat-trick – brought his season tally to six assists and six goals. He has made great strides in his development this season in smoothing out the rougher edges of his game, improving his link-up play and learning to regulate his emotions in a more mature manner. Still, his club and Football Australia believe he has much more room to grow as a professional.

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