Football
AAP 6y

Football Federation Australia sweating over Arzani's international future

Socceroos staffers will reach out to rising Melbourne City star Daniel Arzani as he mulls his international future.

But Football Federation Australia's head of national teams Luke Casserly says it will be disappointing if Arzani chooses to represent Iran over Australia.

Arzani, 19, has lit up the A-League over the past two months but says he has no idea which national team he wants to play for.

Born in Iran but raised in Sydney, Arzani has represented Australia at under-17, under-20 and under-23 level and came through FFA's now-shuttered Centre of Excellence at the AIS.

However, reports indicate Iran are tracking his progress and could entice him to change loyalties with a spot in their World Cup squad.

"To be honest, I haven't really thought about it at all," Arzani told reporters on Thursday.

"I'd have to talk to my parents, I'd have to talk to my father and we'd have to decide together.

"I've got no idea."

Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold said last week that Arzani was pushing himself into Australia's World Cup calculations since emerging as City's new attacking spark.

Socceroos coach Bert van Marwijk was careful not to single out any players for attention when he fronted the media in Sydney on Thursday -- but there's little doubt Arzani will soon come to his attention as he casts an eye over the A-League in the coming weeks.

Casserly, who helped orchestrate Van Marwijk's deal, said he was keen to see Arzani stay in the green and gold.

"We've invested a fair bit in him over the years," Casserly told AAP.

"It would be disappointing if he was to change allegiances. But, as always, it's the decision of the individual."

Arzani, who has been named the January nominee for the A-League's young player of the year award, said he was taking all the extra attention -- on-field and off -- in his stride.

"A lot of the things we're talking about now, they wouldn't even be talked about if I wasn't doing well," he said.

"I've got to continue doing well to have any chance of being in the World Cup squad or achieving anything, really."

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