3 minute read

Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine says he's been impressed by young winger Awer Mabil at the Asian Cup - on and off the field.

Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine believes Awer Mabil has set himself up for a long and successful international career.

Mabil has scored four goals in seven matches for Australia since debuting against Kuwait in October, including two strikes in the Asian Cup.

The 23-year-old has also been making headlines off the field for his eye-catching goal celebration, which he is using as a way to send a message of support to those battling mental illness.

Irvine says he's been impressed by the way Mabil has settled into the Socceroos setup despite his relative inexperience.

"You could say with a fully fit squad he maybe wouldn't have had the opportunity to play the amount of minutes that he's played, and he's grabbed it with both hands," Irvine said.

"That's what you've got to do when you're a young player given a chance.

"You've got to just take the jersey with both hands and not let anyone take it away from you.

"He's certainly done that. He's got an incredibly bright future and he's a valued member of this squad. I'm sure he will be for a long time to come."

Mabil's celebration and its meaning has been turned into a social media campaign complete with the hashtag AMChallenge.

Irvine said he had no idea about the meaning behind Mabil's celebration until it came out in the media.

"It was something a few of the boys had spoken to each other about," Irvine said.

"We weren't really sure what it was - sometimes these things are personal to people and you just let them go about their business the way they want to celebrate a goal.

"He's an amazing young man. Through everything he's done, on and particularly off the pitch, for such a young person to be doing what he's doing is quite extraordinary."