"Yes, it was a slow start but you could see them grow into the tournament and that’s a good sign for things to come

“It’s exciting times in my opinion. Those four players, Arzani, Mabil, Boyle, and Ikonomidis in particular, they get fans excited when they get the ball at their feet.”

And the former English English Premier League star with Blackburn believes they’ll give Graham Arnold a decisive advantage going into qualification across Asia.

“Mabil and Ikonomidis performed exceptionally well at the Asian Cup and with those other strikers coming back in, it looks all like an exciting time.

“It’s a young squad so the future is bright. What I like about these strikers is they all have electrifying pace.

“In my opinion, in world football, that’s what you need to scare opposition defences.

"So if we get the likes of three out of those four playing together up front it’s a scary prospect for opposition teams in our qualification groups.”

AFC qualification for World Cup 2022 kicks off in June 2019.