Currently helping oversee the 17-year-old’s stratospheric progression in his role as Adelaide United’s assistant coach, Milligan believes the A-League’s most vibrant young prospect has qualities tailor-made for Germany’s top flight.

That’s assuming his career arc retains its current trajectory, and he continues to assimilate the advice and knowledge being proffered at the Reds, where both head coach Carl Veart and Milligan are sage sounding boards on how best to maximize his abundant gifts.

This month Irankunda, with seven goals from just 527 minutes of A-League football, could dethrone Harry Kewell as the youngest ever Socceroos debutant in the internationals against Ecuador in Sydney and Melbourne, having been named by Graham Arnold as a train-on player in his 26-strong squad.

He will most likely need another A-League campaign to build consistency and develop the tenacity and resilience needed to succeed overseas, but Milligan sees a shimmering future for the kid whose trademark somersault goal celebrations are becoming a staple diet for bedazzled Reds fans.

Milligan, whose own career traversed Australia, China, Japan, the Middle East and UK, knows what’s required to flourish on multiple stages both at club and international level. 

And he sees the ingredients in abundance in the Tanzania-born phenomenon, as he stands at the foothills of his own steep ascent.

“There comes a point in a player’s career where there’s a little switch, and you learn and understand what you’re capable of and what it takes to make that jump (overseas),” Milligan told FTBL.

“Whether he’s reached that moment yet I’m not too sure. But as a coach you have to best prepare them for when they do reach that moment.

“From a pure talent perspective Nestory has all the attributes to be a fantastic player. But the key is to keep developing - there are so many aspects of his game he needs to build on.

“He has an understanding of how powerful he is - and he’s going to be a very dangerous player as he continues to grow.

“My feeling from the first day I saw him was that the Bundesliga could suit him one day.

“He has the ability to adjust to wherever he ultimately goes but I think with young players - as you saw with Mathew Leckie and Robbie Kruse during their time there - the Bundesliga can be a very nurturing environment.

“But there’s no rush with Nestory. He’ll end up exactly where he needs to be.

“He’s so direct and has the knack for goal. You can nurture these types of things but some players just have that natural aggressiveness."

Milligan maintains that putting the pieces of the jigsaw in place is the challenge for both the coaching staff and Irankunda in a journey which can easily be derailed by merest misstep along the way.

"You see every time he comes on the colour drains out of the fullback’s face. He has something that can’t be taught - our job is to harness his attributes most effectively within a tactical situation," he added.

“It’s all about building that consistency - it’s sometimes easy to forget he’s still only 17. You don’t want players like Nestory or (fellow Reds teenage prodigy) Luka (Jovanovic) to get ahead of themselves.

“How do you keep them level headed without stunting their growth and development? It’s a very fine line.

“They need to keep working hard on a daily basis - if you do that you see the rewards on the weekend.

“Nestory has been doing that and you have seen the growth mentally, as much as anything.

“From a physical point of view he needs to understand his body and how best to utilize that explosive side of his game. 

“He’s getting there and for 45 minutes the other day against Newcastle, in only the second time he’s played that many minutes for us, the way he managed the game was chalk and cheese from what we saw earlier in the season.

“The way he used his attributes to be effective was really pleasing. They’ll come a time when he get more minutes. But right now it’s about building him to a place that when he is required he’ll be fully capable (of delivering).

“A lot of that is about him learning how to make the best use of what he has in terms of his ability.

“Carl spent a few years working with these younger players in the (Reds) youth set up and he has a tremendous grasp of what they require, when to push them  and when they need to be reined back a little bit.”