He’s the Socceroos’ X-factor. But there’s one thing about Irankunda his teammates can’t cop

Oakland: Jackson Irvine is a self-declared “massive fan” of Socceroos teammate Nestory Irankunda, in just about every way. The only thing about him that Irvine can’t quite embrace, however, is his obsession with Michael Jackson.

As the team’s resident musical connoisseur and moral compass, Irvine watched on with bemusement from Germany when Irankunda scored against Curacao earlier this year, had a pre-planted sequinned glove thrown to him by a photographer near the corner flag, and rolled out one of Jackson’s trademark dance moves in front of the cameras as his goal celebration.

“It’s a weird generational thing. It’s a huge part of Michael Jackson that just seems to not have happened any more,” Irvine laughed.

“The guy made some bangers, for sure. Would I want to be openly celebrating him? Probably not. I think I’m maybe showing my age there a little bit. But every time I hear Michael Jackson come on in the dressing room, I just think … did I dream all that?”

Everything else about Irankunda, Irvine can get on board with. As a character, he loves him. As a player, he does things with the ball that Irvine says he’s never seen before. He’s in awe of his sheer pace and power.

“The talent is obscene,” he says.

Irankunda, 20, is Australia’s most dynamic attacking player. But is he ready to start at the World Cup? And is that even the best thing for the Socceroos?

These are questions head coach Tony Popovic and his staff are chewing over ahead of Sunday’s (2pm AEST) opener against Turkey in Vancouver.

They have their doubts – and they are shared by Irvine.

The concern is that, for a game which will require immense tactical discipline and emotional control, Irankunda might not be the best fit to start. His decision to kick the ball into Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka’s private parts while he was lying stomach-down on the ground earned him a yellow card, and sparked an all-in scuffle between the teams – no hanging offence, but the sort of incident the Socceroos would rather not have happened during a proper World Cup match.

Irankunda is not a liability in these areas. In fact, his teammates and coaches all say he is improving, and his defensive workrate was a standout aspect of his performance against the Swiss. He won possession seven times in the 1-1 draw, more than double his best previous effort for the Socceroos. But there are perhaps other players who are better options for a specific situation like this.

“Playing for Australia at the World Cup and against the top nations in the world, the first thing you’ve got to do is be able to defend and run and do it for 90 minutes. And it’s hard. It’s really, really hard,” Irvine said.

“It’s non-negotiable in this team, and he’s finding it, and he’s learning it all the time. You’ve got to bring it, and it’s got to be every day. When that gets better and better, which it will, we’ll see him on the pitch for longer and longer, and he’ll get the chance to show everyone that talent more and more.”

Leaving him on the bench enables them to bring him on in the second half, at a juncture when the game becomes stretched and defensive focus is not quite as sharp, so he can unleash his rare capabilities against tiring legs.

That would be perfect for what appears to be Australia’s game plan: keeping it tight at the back, giving away nothing and hanging in there until legs begin to tire and the game opens up in the second half, and then striking. The introduction of Irankunda in those circumstances also has psychological benefits; no team would enjoy the sight of seeing him get ready to come on late in a tight game.

Here’s the flip side. Every minute Irankunda is not on the pitch feels, in a way, like a minute wasted for the Socceroos.

He has a singular ability to produce a moment of brilliance from nowhere, like the long-distance shot against Switzerland that forced their goalkeeper to tip it onto the crossbar, or the many spectacular strikes he has pulled off for Watford and Adelaide United.

Whenever he is involved, it feels like Australia still has a chance, which is an aura no Socceroo has possessed, arguably, since Tim Cahill.

“Nestor always thinks he’s the best player on the pitch, every time he plays,” teammate Mohamed Toure said. “To be the best, you have to feel like you’re the best, and that’s something he does very well.“

Is it not simply logical that a player of this calibre should be considered an automatic starter? For Popovic, it is not that easy. It never is.

“It’s a view of trying to win the game of football. It’s winning the game and what is best for that match,” he said.

“Do I love Nestory Irankunda or Mo Toure and [Cristian] Volpato and the talent they have? Of course I do, and they will play their part. But them playing a part in one minute could be the difference to actually winning the game. It’s not about, for me, whether they start or don’t start.

“If it’s required for that game, if I think that they can produce over 90, 95 minutes – because that’s key, these young boys have to be able to play for 95 minutes, probably 100 this year with all the drinks breaks. That’s the big question. Can they produce at that level fitness-wise, physically?

“That’s why we’ve been working so hard to try and get these young boys up to the level that they can do it. If those names are on the field, does that suggest [we’re] more attacking? If that’s viewed that way, then I’ll accept that. But I think the players certainly know our approach and how we train is geared a lot differently to what maybe the perception is.“