Wellington Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano thinks one of the rising talents in his squad isn’t getting the attention he deserves.
Ben Old was arguably the best player on the pitch in the Phoenix’s 3-2 win against Adelaide United on Sunday in which he scored a brace.
“Well he should be getting more hype because he’s a Kiwi player,” Italiano said in a post match press conference.
“I think he is such an exciting prospect that you only see how good he is until he leaves and goes overseas.”
Old has been a standout performer this A-League season, scoring four goals across 20 appearances for the Nix this season.
Italiano utilised Old for the full 90 minutes in Sunday’s game and said he is trying to build up the 21-year-old’s fitness after he picked up an injury at the end of last year.
“He’s been injured for so long, we’ve had to manage that quite extensively. Our physio has done an excellent job with him.”
Old has contributed to the Phoenix’s consistency this season, where they sit top of the league by three points with seven matches remaining in the season.
Old could have scored a hat trick on Sunday after his shot was deflected into the path of teammate Oskar van Hattum, who slammed the ball home from close range to score his first goal for the club.
The Phoenix travel to play 8th-placed Melbourne City on Saturday.
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