Andrew Clark isn’t convinced about rumours that Aaron Mooy is considering retirement from football at the age of 31.
Last summer Clark, a fitness and conditioning expert for the Australian Soccer Federation, spent time in Glasgow helping the midfielder get match sharp for World Cup Play-Off ties despite being without a club after leaving China.
It proved to be a spectacularly successful exercise with Mooy earning a two year contract with Celtic, impressing at the World Cup in Qatar then playing a key role as Ange Postecoglou’s side clinched the domestic treble.
The one-time St Mirren midfielder hasn’t played since coming off the bench in Celtic’s title clincher away to Hearts on May 7, with concern from Australia that they may have seen the last of Mooy in national colours.
Clark is now based in Denmark with FC Copenhagen, discussing Mooy he told Australian website FBTL:
I’m not sure what his intentions are but he makes the game look so easy you’d think retirement might be a long way off yet.
I’m not inside his head or his body to know exactly how he’s feeling. But I imagine to be back in Glasgow with his wife and kids after all the travelling the globe playing football must be a fantastic feeling.
I’m just not sure but if he were to retire it would be a nice way to finish after that treble win. He started so young at St Mirren and has sort of come full circle.
I’m sure he can continue if he wants to – it’s just a matter of what his motivations are. It’s tough playing potentially 50 or 60 games a season in all competitions at a big club like Celtic.
I know he’ll taking a lot of interest in the unveiling of a new coach and how that might affect him.
Reflecting on qualification to Qatar, Clark added:
Mooysy was so central to what we wanted to do. He’s such a quality player and a quality person as well.
He was in a difficult situation before the World Cup having played so little in China due of the circumstances there at the time.
He was a pleasure to work with and paid the country back ten fold in how he performed in those games against UAE and Peru, then at the World Cup.
Then to go back to Celtic and become a key part of a treble winning team is just awesome. He’s a guy with a terrific work ethic – that’s why he’s had the success he’s had in his career.
Celtic start pre-season training on July 3 which should answer a few of the questions about Mooy’s fitness and state of mind.