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Nestor Irankunda has been checked for signs of no serious injury following an incident at Bayern Munich’s training ground and will be included in Graham Arnold’s Australian squad for next week’s World Cup qualifier on the Gold Coast.
The 18-year-old was left writhing in pain when teammate Joao Parhinha accidentally stepped on his foot during a training session with Bayern’s youth team on Wednesday, sparking immediate concern Australia’s most exciting young players Could be out for a long time – then reports emerged that he had to be carried away on a golf cart.
However, it is a major relief for Alexander-Arnold and Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany, who will look to integrate the former Adelaide United ace into his first-team squad in the coming weeks. The Bundesliga club’s medical team have cleared Irankunda to full fitness, paving the way for him to be included in Alexander-Arnold’s Australia squad, which will be announced on Friday.
Irankunda made his international debut in June, assisting a goal in a 2-0 win over Bangladesh before scoring from the penalty spot himself in a 5-0 win over Palestine in Perth – before joining Bayern Munich, who reportedly signed him for $1.2 million earlier this year in a deal that also includes a host of other bonuses for Adelaide United that will be triggered when he reaches certain on-field benchmarks.
He has yet to play a senior game for Bayern. Last season, the team’s record of 11 consecutive championships was brokenbut Ilankunda made few mistakes in his first pre-season with Germany’s biggest club and looks set to become a regular on the bench. Last week he made his debut for Bayern’s reserve team, which plays in a regional tournament in Germany’s fourth tier, scoring twice in a 5-0 win.
For Australia, he could be the difference between winning and losing the game. 2026 World Cup Qualifying Round 3 The event will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Nestorie Irankunda will be called up to the Australian national team on Friday.Credit: Bayern Munich Photo credit: Getty Images
The players will gather on the Gold Coast this weekend to prepare for Thursday night’s clash with Bahrain at Cbus Super Stadium before travelling to Jakarta to take on Indonesia on September 10.
With the A-League season just a month away, Alexander-Arnold is expected to nominate only one or two local players, with Aziz Behich likely to make the cut due to the injury absence of left-back Jordan Bosz, who pulled a hamstring in his first game for Westlo in the Belgian Pro League.
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