To see Musty at the hair salon...

 

And with the praise of the Socceroos’ German coach Holger Osieck still ringing in his ears,  Amini heads to Europe later this week full of confidence and excitement.

Earlier this week, reports claimed the Mariners hadn’t yet granted permission for the Bluetongue cult hero to trial in Europe. Other reports said he’d be spending time at German giants Bayern Munich.

However, au.fourfourtwo.com can confirm the player will leave Australia this Thursday bound for the German Bundesliga leaders, and that he leaves with the club’s blessings.

Amini is set to spend ten days with Dortmund - Mitch Langerak’s club - followed by a trip to Geordieland to train with EPL side Newcastle United.

Both clubs have invited the Mariner to train with them - a sign of the buzz around this exciting new talent.

And that buzz has been ramped up by Socceroo coach Holger Osieck’s assessment of the exciting 17-year-old.

"He has something special, he is very courageous and he plays some risky balls upfront, which I really like," Osieck said this week.

"I don't want to have the 100 per cent passers playing the square ball two metres right, two metres left, you have to have the guts, the balls to really go for it, and he has got it."

The Young Socceroo is set to be in Europe for around a month before returning for national U/20 training camps in Australia ahead of the World Youth Cup next July in Colombia.

"I think he's in a good situation with the Young Socceroos, Jan (Versleijen, coach) is an excellent guy to convey the way he should go and so is Arnie (Graham Arnold, Mariners coach),” added Osieck.

"Maybe I can be down the road one of the people to help him as well.

"If he goes to a try-out it is never a mistake to experience a new atmosphere, new mentality, new environment.

"I think he looks to me already a pretty mature guy who can pick up and is willing to learn. He is still in a state of learning, we can't forget that. But he is a good prospect, that is for sure."

The youngster said the experience will be an eye-opener.

"Football is massive over there. It’s like a religion, they’re really crazy about it,” Amini told au.fourfourtwo.com today.

“So it’s Newcastle United after Borussia Dortmund. Hopefully I do well then I'll come back."

The trip will be a vital part of the player's preparations for the World Youth Cup in July.

“We’ll be playing the best in the world. That’ll be amazing, so training with a Bundesliga club that’s coming first in the league, it’s pretty crazy," Amini added. 

"Jan [Versleijen] supports the trip fully - he’s really happy and looking forward to me coming into camp after.”

The trip comes just days after the Mariners heart-breaking grand final loss in the A-League to Brisbane Roar. While hugely disappointed, Amini said the game was a great advert for the A-League and his club.

“I don’t feel so well but what can you do? That’s football. It was just a great experience to be playing in it. And Arnie had the confidence to start me which was great. Just a bad way to lose it.

“Arnie told us before the game no matter how long the game goes, we’ve got to concentrate and maybe we lacked that little bit of concentration at the end. And it cost us.”

For a 17-year-old to walk out onto a Suncorp stadium that was a sea of orange and the din of 50,000 odd fans was something that will stay with Amini for a long time.

“My heart was beating so fast. It was crazy,” he recalled.

“I had my parents there, my brother and little sister too. I saw them actually when we were singing the national anthem and they were sitting with all the Mariners fans.

“Just seeing them was crazy and 50,000 around them was really great.”

During his down-time on Tuesday, Amini dropped by the award-winning Toni&Guy (www.toniandguy.com.au) hair salon in Parramatta, Sydney.

It was the first time he'd visited such a salon and the Mariner was given the full treatment as the team went to work on the most recognizable afros in the A-League.

Stylists Nathan and Jessie said it wasn’t about cutting the player's trademark look; rather it was about restyling it so it would grow more evenly.

Amini hoped his afro would look just right for Colombia in July when no doubt there will be comparisons made with that country’s legendary  playmaker Carlos Valderrama – known for his extraordinary afro just as much as his wonderful skills.  

“It’s a bit shorter but it’s got more texture so it’s cool,” Amini said after inspecting his reshaped afro.

“They’ve given me a moisturiser too which I have to put in my hair after I shower. The players will probably give it to me a bit when I turn up to training with this.”

And the hair has not escaped Osieck’s attention either.

The Socceroos coach added: "He has ginger hair and that shows something already - we say in Germany if someone has ginger hair they are always a little bit more aggressive.”

To see Musty at the hair salon...