Plaudits can be hard to come by when you’re in the same squad as the Austrian captain, a World Cup goal scorer and ex-Socceroos, however Sydney FC youngster Max Burgess drew plenty of eyes with his starting debut in Hobart on Sunday.
The young midfielder was lively throughout the game and completed the full 90 minutes on his first start with the senior team with the Sutherland shire product pleased with the Sky Blues display against a strong Victory outfit.
“It was a great hit out because Melbourne are such a good side,” Burgess said.
“I thought we played really well and were really strong defensively and I thought going forward we showed a lot as well.
“It was a very complete performance and we were unlucky not to get the win,” he continued.
“I was happy to get my first start and first 90 minutes with the first team. Obviously there is room for improvement, I’d like to get on the ball a bit more and if I do I will get more confident and get used to the pace but I was happy with my starting debut.”
With a taste for first team football Burgess is hopeful of gaining more valuable minutes at Hyundai A-League level, and the 19 year old is confident he can achieve that under the tutelage of Foxtel National Youth League Head Coach Steve Corica and Hyundai A-League Head Coach Graham Arnold.
Burgess has already scored once for the first team, in a friendly win against Bonnyrigg White Eagles, but he knows he’ll have to fight for a place with the Sky Blues possessing plenty of depth in midfield.
“I’m confident in my own game but I understand the squad is really strong,” Burgess said.
“There is a lot of depth so there’s a lot of competition for places but I feel I have a lot of improvement left in me and I feel like I can learn from each challenge and keep getting better.
“With Arnie as coach he helps a lot, he’s very good with the young boys in training and I feel like I can keep improving,” he continued.
“On a personal level I’d like to push for the first team as much as I can, get as much time as I can and improve as a player and learn from Arnie and the coaching staff and improve my game.”
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